Synthesis and Characterization of Antibactericidal Silver-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite with Improved Clinical Antibacterial Properties.

Abstract

Pandemic action of Clinical pathogens is global and has done a lot of harm to human biological systems even in developing resistance to most antibiotics. This research revealed studies on the antibacterial effect of Silver-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite (Ag-ZnO NC) as a potential antibacterial agent on selected bacterial isolates of clinical origin. Ag and ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized separately using chemical reduction method, followed by calcination at 300oC for 3 hours. The synthesized nanocomposite was characterized using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). SEM and TEM elucidated the surface morphology and confirmed that the synthesized Ag-ZnO NC was truncated rod in shape and has 11 to 56 nm size in diameter, XRD indicates the well-defined crystallinity hexagonal wurtzite structure. Antibacterial assessment (zone of inhibition of Ag-ZnO (ZI) and minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC)) was carried out on test organisms (Streptococcus spp, Citrobacterfreundii, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). These bacteriostat results of Ag-ZnO NC gave 31mm and 15mm ZI for MRSA and Streptococcus spp respectively and percentage growth (MIC) of Ag-ZnO NC were at 158.1 and 0.143 at 50% and 0.048828125% respectively for Streptococcus spp showing an improved clinical antibactericidal properties which can be used against the growth of microbes and in diverse medicine practices for preventing pathogenic action of microbes and curing of diseases. Keywords: anti-microbial agent; silver-zinc oxide nanocomposite; bacteriostat; calcination; minimum inhibitory concentration.