Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from Spirulina microalgae and its antibacterial activity

The present work focuses on a low-cost, simple, and green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by mixing AgNO₃ solution with the extract of Spirulina platensis (SP) without any chemical reducing and/or capping agents. The green synthesis of AgNPs was confirmed by the color change from colorless to yellowish brown. The biosynthesis of AgNPs was further confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), biological transmission electron microscopy (Bio-TEM), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The UV-vis spectroscopy results showed the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of AgNPs around 450 nm. Bio-TEM analysis revealed that the Ag nanoparticles were well dispersed with average range of 5-50 nm. XRD results indicated that the green synthetic process produced face-centered cubic structure of AgNPs. FT-IR spectroscopy analysis showed that the bioactive molecules from the SP extract believed to be the responsible for the reduction of Ag ions. Furthermore, the synthesized AgNPs were evaluated against pathogens such as Staphylococcus sp. and Klebsiella sp. The AgNPs (1-4 mM) extensively reduced the growth rate of the pathogens.