Functionalization of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Mucuna pruriens and its antibacterial activity

Microbial infection prevalence has increased by several folds in the past decade due to the origination of multidrug resistance. The current investigation is dedicated to evaluating the antibacterial potential of Mucuna pruriens seed extract functionalized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). ZnO NPs synthesis was confirmed using a UV–Visible spectrophotometer (UV–Vis). The average diameter of ZnO NPs aggregate was estimated to be 60 nm using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and elemental dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX) analysis confirmed the synthesis of pure, spherical shaped ZnO NPs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) indicates functional groups of seed involved in nanoparticle synthesis. The anti-bacterial activity of ZnO NPs was investigated by the growth curve generation of native and nanoparticle treated bacteria, broth dilution method to identify MIC and IC50 value. SEM and EDAX analysis of bacterial cells gave insight into the mechanism used by nanoparticle for bacterial growth inhibition.