Abstract
Aqueous black carpenter ant extract (ABCAE) was used to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The ABCAE was rich in water-soluble compounds such as hydrophilic polypeptides that behaved as both reducing and stabilizing agents for generating AgNPs from Ag+ ion precursors. The diameter of the observed AgNPs was mostly in the range of 20–60 nm. The AgNPs were tested as an antibacterial agent for the growth inhibition of two pathogenic bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 27661) and one common bacteria (Escherichia coli K12 ATCC 10798). Disk diffusion test showed that the AgNPs selectively inhibited the growth of P. aeruginosa but not for the other two species, suggesting the potential application of the green-chemically synthesized AgNPs as a selective antibacterial agent without harming other beneficial bacteria.
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Acknowledgements
This work was performed under financial assistance from Southeastern Louisiana University, Troy University, and award 70NANB18H289 from U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology. We also appreciate the TEM and SEM/EDS imaging assistance from Dr. Dongmei Cao at Louisiana State University.
Funding
This work was performed under main financial assistance from Southeastern Louisiana University, Troy University, and partial support from award 70NANB18H289 from U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
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JC and SL equally contributed to design and perform the experiments together and wrote the manuscript as co-authors. PW and JP helped in conducting experiments. DC helped in providing mathematical work for research. RE helped in preparing experiments, collecting initial research data and sample donations. JC, SL, JP and PW reviewed the manuscript. JC supervised the project as a corresponding author.
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Cho, J.L., Liu, S., Wang, P. et al. Silver nanoparticles induced with aqueous black carpenter ant extract selectively inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Biotechnol Lett 45, 811–821 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-023-03386-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-023-03386-8