Multi-bioactive silver nanoparticles synthesized using mosquitocidal Bacilli and their characterization

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using cell-free filtrates of some mosquitocidal Bacilli. They showed the optical absorption peaks at 386–412 nm. They were polycrystalline spherical, hexagonal, cuboidal, rod and anisotropic shapes as detected by TEM. These nanoparticles were negatively charged with sizes ranging from 15 to 21 nm average diameter as detected by DLS. FTIR spectra showed that the main absorption bands of biomolecules capping AgNPs appeared at average wave numbers of 3435 cm −1 [ν(N–H) of amide A overlapped by ν(O–H)], 1631 cm −1 [(ν(C=O) of amide I], 1396 cm −1 [ν(C–N) of amide I], 2929 cm −1 (aliphatic C–H) and 1040 cm −1 (C–C–O). FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of protein biomolecules in the bacterial filtrate-formed coat covering AgNPs through free amide groups resulting in their stabilization in the aqueous medium. Nitrate reductase activity was found in all tested bacterial filtrates and ranged from 1.66 to 2.51 µmol/ml/min. These findings point to the probable role of nitrate reductase in reducing silver ions to silver nanoparticles and their stabilization. Tested AgNPs were multi-bioactive nanometals and showed mosquitocidal, bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal activities. In addition, they exhibited highly synergistic mosquitocidal effect to spore toxin complex of mosquitocidal Bacilli at a very low concentration. AgNPs exhibited activities that were not or slightly cytotoxic to MA 104 cell line at tested concentrations. Therefore, they can be applied in the medical field. Finally, this study offered a simple, highly efficient, eco-friendly, economic method for biosynthesis of multi-bioactive AgNPs by some mosquitocidal Bacilli.