Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using methanolic fruit extract of Aegle marmelos and their antimicrobial potential against human bacterial pathogens

Plant-based synthesis of nanoparticles has generated worldwide interest because of cost-effectiveness, eco-friendly nature and plethora of applications. In the present investigation, antimicrobial potential of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of methanolic extract of Aegle marmelos fruit has been investigated. Agar well diffusion method was used for determining antimicrobial activity of solvent extracts (viz., petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone, methanol and aqueous), and AgNPs. Among these, methanolic extract of A. marmelos showed highest inhibitory activity against B. cereus (16.17 ± 0.50 mm) followed by P. aeruginosa (13.33 ± 0.62 mm) and E. coli. Phytochemical analysis of methanolic extract of A. marmelos revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, and glycosides. AgNPs synthesized using A. marmelos methanolic extract, characterized by UV–Visible spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and X-ray diffraction showed a peak at 436 nm and size ranged between 159 and 181 nm. Evaluation of the antimicrobial potential of green synthesized AgNPs recorded the highest inhibitory activity against B. cereus (19.25 ± 0.19 mm) followed by P. aeruginosa (16.50 ± 0.30 mm) and S. dysentriae. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of synthesized AgNPs was found to be in the range of 0.009875–0.0395 mg/100 μl which was quite lower than the MIC of crude extract i.e. 0.0781–0.3125 mg/100 μl. The results obtained indicated that the different crude extracts of A. marmelos plant as well as AgNPs have a strong and effective antimicrobial potential that provide a marvelous source for the development of new drug molecules of herbal origin which may be used for the welfare of humanity.