COMPARATIVE ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY OF GREEN-SYNTHESISED SILVER NANOPARTICLES DERIVED FROM MEDICINAL PLANTS OF ACHANAKMAR BIOSPHERE RESERVE, CHHATTISGARH, INDIA
The environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and biologically relevant green synthesis of metal nanoparticles hasrecently arisen as a viable substitute for traditional chemical methods. In the present study, silver nanoparticles(AgNPs) were biosynthesised using methanolic leaf extracts of three medicinal plants, namely Bauhinia purpurea, Buchanania lanzan, and Boerhavia dif usa, collected from the Achanakmar Biosphere Reserve, Chhattisgarh, India. The plant extracts' phytochemicals served as organic stabilising and reducing agents, allowing the creationof nanoparticles without the use of dangerous chemicals. The prepared AgNPs were studied by means of X-raydiffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to ascertain their crystallinity, size, composition of elements, and formation. The nanoparticles predominantly exhibited spherical morphologywithnanoscale dimensions and good crystallinity. Using the agar well diffusion method, antimicrobial activitywasevaluated against Escherichia coli and Candida albicans using the agar well diffusion method. Boerhavia dif usa- mediated AgNPs demonstrated the strongest antibacterial activity among the synthesised nanoparticles, whereasBuchanania lanzan-derived AgNPs demonstrated enhanced antifungal potential. The findings highlight theinfluence of phytochemical diversity on nanoparticle characteristics and biological performance. This studycontributes to the growing field of green nanotechnology by demonstrating the potential of medicinal plants fromthe Achanakmar Biosphere Reserve as sustainable resources for the development of biologically active silver nanoparticles with promising antimicrobial and Therapeutic use.
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