Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using terrestrial fern (Gleichenia Pectinata (Willd.) C. Presl.): characterization and antimicrobial studies

Novel silver nanoparticles from <i>Gleichenia Pectinata (</i>Willd.) C. Presl. was synthesized. A combination of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques were utilized to characterize the newly synthesized <i>Gleichenia Pectinata</i> Silver Nanoparticles (GPAgNPs) vis-à-vis UV-Vis Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Analyses. Significant absorption was observed at 460 nm resulting from the surface Plasmon resonance (SPR). A rapid rate of synthesis was observed and the best surface plasmon resonance was obtained at 105 minutes contact time. SEM and TEM showed an spherical shape of GPAgNPs with an average size of 7.51 nm. The XRD result revealed a crystalline and polydispersed GPAgNPs. GPAgNPs were effective against four antibiotic resistant pathogens and they exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> and <i>Candida albicans.</i> GPAgNPs favorably competed with standard antibiotics. This therefore enlisted GPAgNPs as potential antimicrobial and therapeutic agents against multidrug resistant micro-organisms (MDRM).