GREEN SYNTHESIS OF IRON AND ZINC OXIDE NANOPARTICLES FROM MORINGAOLEIFERAPOD PEEL EXTRACT AND IN-VITRO ANALYSIS OF THEIR ANTIBACTERIAL POTENTIAL

With the enormous applications nanomaterials offer, this study focuses on antibacterial property of nanoparticles. The study involved green synthesis of iron and zinc oxide nanoparticles from Moringa oleiferapod peel extract and comparison of the bactericidal efficiency of chemically and green synthesized nanoparticles against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV spectroscopy, SEM-EDS and XRD. In-vitro analysis of antibacterial potential of both chemically and green synthesized iron and zinc oxide nanoparticles was assessed. A comparison of the activity of nanoparticles against E. coli and S. aureus suggested that Gram-positive bacteria are more susceptible to zinc oxide nanoparticles than Gram-negative bacteria. The exact mechanism of the action that justifies this difference in the susceptibility based on the structural differences in cell wall composition is yet to be deciphered. Nevertheless, green synthesis of nanoparticles is emerging as a popular branch of bio-nanotechnology its popularity is attributed to the lesser energy consumption, biocompatibility and less toxicity of the green synthesized nanoparticles to living systems.