Study of antimicrobial and DNA cleavage property of biocompatible silver nanoparticles prepared by using Ficus carica L.

In the present study, silver nanoparticles (NPs) have been prepared by using leaf extract of Ficus carica L. as reductant because it contains proteins, flavonoid, enzymes etc. The prepared silver NPs were characterised by FTIR, XRD, UV–Vis spectroscopy for structural analysis, and the surface morphology was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image analysis. FTIR spectra showed the presence of proteins and flavonoid. The XRD showed the face-centred cubic cell structure with the crystal size around 12nm. UV–Vis spectra showed the peaks at 420 nm, which confirmed the formation of silver NPs. The antibacterial studies of S. aureus showed the silver-coated organic molecule selectively increased the zone of inhibition up to 9 fold. The antibacterial action mechanism was determined by DNA cleavage, and it was found that the silver NPs enhance the cellular membrane permeability and decrease the effluent flux of drug resulting good antimicrobial action. © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.