Keratinase mediated fabrication and partial characterization of gold nanoparticles and its antibacterial potential

Keratinase is mainly involved in recycling of keratin waste. Of late, researchers extended its application to nanotechnology. In the present study, we have made an attempt to fabricate and characterize gold nanoparticles using crude keratinase enzyme from Serratia ficaria and also study their biological application, particularly antibacterial activity. The formation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was first verified by UV-Visible Spectroscopy. FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of responsible secondary metabolites for stabilization of nanoparticles. The morphological characteristics and particle size of synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed. The AuNPs showed significant antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumonia, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. The highest radical scavenging activity, 60.62% for AuNPs was observed at 500 mu g/mL. Results of this study reveals significance of keratinase application in nano-based biological applications.