BIOSYNTHESIS OF ZINC OXIDE NANOPARTICLES USING HYLOCEREUS UNDATUS FRUIT PEEL EXTRACT AGAINST CLINICAL PATHOGENS

Abstract

Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using the peel extract of Hylocereus undatus (dragon fruit) was carried out for the first time by a green chemistry approach. The peel used for this study, act as a reducing and capping agent for synthesizing ZnO NPs from the precursor salt. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Visible Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The anti-microbial activity of ZnO NPs were assessed against the microbial pathogens and compared with the crude extract of H. undatus. The synthesized nanoparticles showed more effective against gram positive (Bacillus subtilis) bacteria than gram negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsella Pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and moderate activity was found against C. albicans. It indicates the biomedical capability of ZnO NPs.