Green Synthesis of Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Using Funaria hygrometrica Extract, and the Study of Its Antimicrobial Activities

Over time, microbial resistance to antimicrobial drugs has gradually raised and is therefore a considerable threat to public health. To tackle the menace of multi-resistant microbial activities which pose challenges to scientist, Iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe۲O۳ NPs) due to their importance in medicinal chemistry been known to exhibit antimicrobial activities against some microbes was synthesized using Funaria hygrometrica to investigate its antimicrobial activities against some selected microbes and then compared with two standard drugs ciprofloxacin and Terbinafine. Funaria hygrometrica, a commonly found moss species, was employed as a natural source of reducing, capping, and stabilizing agents for the synthesis of 〖"Fe" 〗_"۲" "O" _"۳" nanoparticles by co-precipitation method. The synthesized 〖"Fe" 〗_"۲" "O" _"۳" nanoparticles were characterized using techniques such as UV-spectrophotometer with a peak appearing at ۳۳۵.۰۰ ± ۰.۸۷۷ nm to indicate the band gap for synthesized iron from the Funaria hygrometrica, X-ray diffraction (XRD), with spectrum characteristics diffraction peaks at two-theta angles of ۲۴.۱o, ۳۳.۱o, ۳۵.۶۱o, ۳۹.۳o, ۴۰.۸o, ۴۳.۵o, ۴۹.۴o, ۵۴.۰o, ۵۷.۶o, ۶۲.۴o, ۶۳.۹۶o, and ۷۱.۹۱o, which conformed with haematite (Fe۲O۳), Scanning Electron micrograph/Energy Dispersive Xray (SEM/EDX) Spectroscopy which revealed its morphology of heterogenous dark surface with the elemental composition of ۷۶.۸۶% Fe and ۲۳.۱۴% O. Also, nanoparticles' diameter and structure were determined from Transmission Electron Micrograph (TEM) of 〖"Fe" 〗_"۲" "O" _"۳" nanoparticle to be ۶۳.۱۴۲ ± ۱۶.۶۳۳ nm, hexagonal crystal system, and roughly spherical. The synthesized Fe۲O۳ nanoparticles were screened against some selected microbes to determine its Zone of Inhibition (ZOI), Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) at ۱۰۰ mg/L doses to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli bacteria and Aspergillus flavus, Trichophyton mentagrophyte fungi and the Minimum Bactericidal and Fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC) which completely inactivating Salmonella typhi at a dose of ۱۰۰ mg/L.

Keywords:

Green synthesis , Fe۲O۳ nanoparticle , Funaria hygrometrica , Antimicrobial