In Vitro Activation of Ampicillin Effect with Plant Extract Cocktail-Mediated Silver Nanoparticles Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Pathogens

The emergence of antibiotic resistance and the continuing evolution of resistance even to newer drugs have always been a global challenge. In the pursuit of innovative solutions, there is growing interest in using nanomaterials with antibacterial potentials to combat this menace.

In this study, plant extract cocktail-mediated silver nanoparticles (PAgNPs) was used to stimulate the antibacterial effect of ampicillin (AMP) against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens.

The agar well diffusion technique was used to investigate the potentials of PAgNPs in activating the antibacterial activity of AMP in MDR bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pnuemoniae, Micrococcus luteus, and Clostridium difficile. Plant extract cocktail-mediated silver nanoparticles were synthesized by reacting 9 mL of 1 mM of silver nitrate with 0.5 mL each of Citrus limon juice and aqueous Newbouldia laevis extract under bright sunlight for 10 minutes. Plant extract cocktail-mediated silver nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and higher resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS).

Plant extract cocktail-mediated silver nanoparticles colloidal solution was reddish-brown with a 441-nm surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption peak. The HRTEM micrograph showed the varied shaped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with the average size of 23.49 ± 10.49 nm. Similarly, EDS showed a strong typical metallic silver nanocrystallites absorption peak at 3.0 keV. The PAgNPs activate the AMP activity in MDR E. coli, M. luteus, K. pnuemoniae, and C. difficile.

The present findings suggest that PAgNPs can be considered a suitable candidate for developing novel antibacterial drugs to combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.