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Silver Nanoparticle Embedded α-Chitin Nanocomposite for Enhanced Antimicrobial and Mosquito Larvicidal Activity

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Abstract

Advent of nanotechnology opens up potential avenues for overcoming various challenges that includes control and cure of infectious diseases. The present study is focused on the synthesis of α-chitin nanoparticles (CNP) from the shells of Penaeus monodon Fabricius, silver nanoparticles (AgNP) and α-chitin/silver nanocomposite (CNP/AgNP), and to evaluate their antimicrobial and mosquito larvicidal activities. The antibacterial and antifungal activities are assessed against five different bacterial and fungal strains. Also the mosquito larvicidal potential is studied against Aedes aegypti a potential vector for malaria and dengue fever. The synthesized nanocomposites are characterized using UV–Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope and dynamic light scattering analysis. The antibacterial and antifungal assays reveal that the CNP/AgNP has an enhanced antimicrobial effect on inhibition of bacteria (P. vulgaris, K. pneumonia and S. aureus) as well as fungi (C. albicans, T. viridae, A. niger and A. alternate). Mosquito larvicidal assays confirm that CNP/AgNP has shown lowest LC50 and LC90 values than CNP and AgNP against all the instars of A. aegypti. Hence our result suggests that the incorporation of AgNP with CNP could improve the antimicrobial and mosquito larvicidal activity and have the potential to be used as biocompatible antimicrobial and mosquito larvicidal material.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the University grants commission, New Delhi, India for the financial assistance of this study through a major research project (F. No. 40-389/2011(SR)). Thanks are also due to the Center for Research in Medical Entomology, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India for providing the eggs of A. aegypti.

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  1. Department of Biotechnology, Science Campus, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamilnadu, 630 004, India

    Dhananasekaran Solairaj & Palanivel Rameshthangam

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  1. Dhananasekaran Solairaj
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  2. Palanivel Rameshthangam
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Correspondence to Palanivel Rameshthangam.

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Solairaj, D., Rameshthangam, P. Silver Nanoparticle Embedded α-Chitin Nanocomposite for Enhanced Antimicrobial and Mosquito Larvicidal Activity. J Polym Environ 25, 435–452 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-016-0822-3

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