Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are among the most widely used nanoparticles that show a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. Green synthesis of Ag-NPs from plant extract is the most popular method in vitro. In this study, Ag-NPs were biologically synthesized from the leaf extract of Moringa oleifera and the antimicrobial activity was observed. Furthermore, a comparative assessment of antimicrobial activity of biologically synthesized Ag-NPs and crude plant extract was performed. Initially, 11 pathogenic bacterial strains were used to evaluate the antibacterial potentiality of crude leaf sample. However, the result showed that the crude leaf extract exerted maximum potential against Proteus vulgaris. Additionally, the application of biologically synthesized Ag-NPs was assessed against the same pathogenic strains and observed enhanced antibacterial activities with larger inhibited zones. Thus, our results suggest that the biological synthesis of Ag-NPs significantly enhanced the antibacterial activity of M. oleifera leaf extract against selected pathogenic bacterial strains. M. oleifera could be a potential source of Ag-NPs for successful use as an antibacterial agent in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
Key words: Silver nanoparticles, Antibacterial activity, Green synthesis, Moringa oleifera
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