A Combinatorial Approach towards Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activity Using Tartaric Acid Capped Silver Nanoparticles

The convenient synthetic strategy for the one-pot synthesis of silver nanoparticles capped by tartaric acid with a controlled size is reported here. Their characterization is revealed through spectroscopic protocols, such as UV/Vis and FTIR, while SEM, DLS and a Zetasizer revealed the surface morphology, size distribution and surface charge on the nanoparticles. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band was observed at 406 nm with 1.07 a.u absorbance, the image for SEM shows that the particles were monodispersed and spherical in shape, while the z-average size distribution of AgNPs/TA in a colloidal solution was found to be 79.20 nm and the surface charge was monitored as -28.2 mV. The antibacterial activities of these capped nanoparticles alone and in synergism with selected fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin, sparfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and gemifloxacin) and macrolides (erythromycin and azithromycin) were assessed on selected Gram-negative as well as Gram-positive organisms by employing the disc diffusion method. Antioxidant activity against the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) was also evaluated using the standard assay method. The antibacterial activity of the antibiotics has been increased against studied microorganisms, showing the positive synergistic effect of the capped nanoparticles. A potential therapeutic application of AgNPs/TA in combination with antibiotics is determined from the results of the present research. These capped nanoparticles also possess good antioxidant activity and, therefore, can be used in various fields of biomedical sciences.

Automated summary

A convenient synthetic strategy for the one-pot synthesis of silver nanoparticles capped by tartaric acid is reported. The nanoparticles were characterized using spectroscopic protocols and imaging techniques, revealing their size, surface charge, and morphology. The nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial activity, especially in synergy with selected antibiotics, and also showed good antioxidant activity. These capped nanoparticles have the potential for therapeutic applications in biomedical sciences.