Antibacterial and Cytotoxicity Effect of Flavokawain B Loaded Silver Nanoparticles.

Summary: Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are used in sterilizing nanomaterials, medical products, textiles, food storage bags, and personal care products. Ag NPs exhibited significant antibacterial activity due to the sustained release of free Ag. Flavokawain B (FKB) is a natural chalcone extracted from the roots of the kava-kava plant Piper methysticum. In this study, Ag NPs were synthesized by the chemical method using hydrazine hydrate and poly (vinyl alcohol) as reducing and stabilizing agents, respectively. FKB-loaded Ag NPs showed a red shift and were positioned at 421 nm, indicating Ag NPs presence. The FTIR spectrum confirmed the presence of the aromatic compound's functional groups (at different absorption bands). The XRD pattern indicated the crystalline nature of the loaded Ag NPs with face-centered cubic (fcc) Ag crystals. SEM image revealed the crystalline nature of FKB-loaded Ag NPs. FESEM image revealed the loading of Ag NPs on the clear and flat surface of FKB, and a spherical shape of Ag NPs with an average size of 60 nm was obtained. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of AgFKB against Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to be 100 µg/mL. However, 100 µg/mL of FKB discs did not show any inhibition zone in the activity. These findings indicated the improved antibacterial activity of FKB-loaded Ag NPs (Ag-FKB). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]