Biosynthesis, Characterization and Antimicrobial Response of Silver Nanoparticles Using an Aqueous Extract of Taraxacum officinale

The world faces a grave threat from antimicrobial resistance. Currently, many bacterial and fungal infections cannot be treated with the majority of well-known antibiotics. Biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were achieved by a novel, simple green chemistry procedure to counter microbial familiarity using Taraxacum officinale aqueous extract as a reducing agent. The current study was carried out to explore the efficacy of AgNPs by aqueous extract of Taraxacum officinale followed by physicochemical characterization including ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffractometer (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Antibacterial and antifungal activities of the aqueous extracts AgNPs were assessed using the seeding technique and the tube diluton technique respectively. The UV-Vis distinctive spectral peak was observed at 445 nm. SEM showed a particle size range of 100 nm at 30,000 x magnification whereas TEM showed the spherical shape (100 nm) of nanoparticles. XRD confirmed the crystalline structure of the AgNPs, whereas FTIR validated the phytochemicals in their capping, stabilization, and synthesis of AgNPs. Antibacterial assay of synthesized NPs showed significant action against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Similarly, the antifungal activity of synthesized AgNPs showed significant action against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Alternaria alternata, and Fusarium oxysporum. These results suggest that the aqueous extract AgNPs of T. officinale could provide a safer alternative to conventional antibacterial and antifungal agents.