Taraxacum officinale extracts (flower, stem and seed)-incorporated nanoflowers with their peroxidase-like and antimicrobial activities

In this study, organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers (NFs) using Taraxacum Officinale (T. officinale) extracts (flower, stem and seed) and copper II ions (Cu2+) were synthesized. In terms of T. officinale NFs formation, while T. officinale extracts were used as organic components, Cu2+ acted as an inorganic component. We demonstrated how extracts of flower, stem and seed parts of T. officinale plant affect morphologies of T. officinale NFs. The NFs were characterized by SEM and EDX analysis. We also investigated peroxidase-like and antimicrobial activities of T. officinale flower extract NF (TOF@NF), T. officinale stem extract NF (TOSt@NF) and T. officinale seed extract NF (TOS@NF) in the presence of the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) via Fenton reaction mechanism. The catalytic activities of all NFs were tested towards guaiacol used as a substrate and the NFs showed antimicrobial activities against model microorganisms like Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Candida albicans ATCC 1023. We claim that T. officinale extracts can be considered as promising organic components for synthesis of flower-shaped hybrid nanostructures.