Herbal-mediated preparation of nano-sized particles of selenium, its characterization, and evaluation of its antimicrobial activity.

This study aimed to synthesize selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) using stevia plant leaves and to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of nano-sized particles of selenium. A new organic synthesis of nano-sized selenium particles was done in this study. In this study, stevia leaves for the synthesis of nano-sized particles along with sodium selenite were done. This mixture was mixed homogeneously using an orbital shaker overnight. The color change indicated the formation of SeNPs. The SeNPs were evaluated for their size and shape and their antimicrobial property was assessed. SeNPs showed excellent antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans at 100 μL concentration. At 25 μL and 50 μL, C. albicans showed intermediate susceptibility to SeNPs which also indicated a good antimicrobial potential. Following C. albicans, SeNPs showed good antimicrobial potential against Streptococcus mutans at all concentrations. SeNPs possessed good antimicrobial activity against most common oral pathogens.