Screening of cyanobacteria and microalgae for their ability to synthesize silver nanoparticles with antibacterial activity

• Published in: Biotechnology reports (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Vol. 5; no. C; pp. 112 - 119
• Main Authors: Patel, Vijay, Berthold, David, Puranik, Pravin, Gantar, Miroslav
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier 01.03.2015
• Subjects: Antibacterial activity; Cyanobacteria; Microalgae; Silver nanoparticles; Antibacterial activity; Microalgae; Silver nanoparticles; Cyanobacteria
• ISSN: 2215-017X; 2215-017X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2014.12.001

The aim of this study was to assess the ability of selected strains of cyanobacteria and microalgae to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) by using two procedures; (i) suspending the live and washed biomass of microalgae and cyanobacteria into the AgNO solution and (ii) by adding AgNO into a cell-free culture liquid. Ag-NPs were biosynthesized by 14 out of 16 tested strains. In most of the cases Ag-NPs were formed both in the presence of biomass as well as in the cell-free culture liquid. This indicates that the process of Ag-NPs formation involves an extracellular compound such as polysaccharide. TEM analysis showed that the nanoparticles were embedded within an organic matrix. Ag-NPs varied in shape and sizes that ranged between 13 and 31 nm, depending on the organism used. The antibacterial activity of Ag-NPs was confirmed in all but one strain of cyanobacterium ( sp. 37-2-1) which formed the largest particles.