Extracellular Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Extract of Mimosa pudica Leaves and Assessment of Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity

Abstract: In recent years, green chemistry approaches have gained global recognition as eco-friendly processes. Rapid green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using extracts of Mimosa pudica leaves was investigated. The silver nitrate (3 mM) solution was used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles from M. pudica leaves extract. The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized AgNPs was investigated against selected bacterial and fungal species. The presence of ergosterol acetate, 4-methyl cyclopentadecanone and stearic acid was found to be (wt %) 31.9, 26.7 and 41.4, respectively, in M. pudica leaves extract, this was recognized by GC–MS analysis, and the functional group present in the plant leaves extract was examined by FTIR analysis. Further, the biosynthesized AgNPs from aqueous extract were analyzed by UV–Vis, SEM and EDAX. A characteristic single broad surface plasmon resonance peak was observed at 430 nm. SEM results showed that the formation of spherical shaped AgNPs with the average particle size of about 100 nm and EDAX profile confirmed the presence of silver in the prepared AgNPs. The prepared AgNPs had notable antimicrobial activity against the selected bacterial and fungal species. Thus, the biosynthesized AgNPs could become a potential candidature for pharmaceutical applications. Graphic Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2020, The National Academy of Sciences, India.