Enterobacter cloacae Cell Lysate-mediated Biosynthesis of AgNPs: Physicochemical Characterization and Bactericidal Kinetics
J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Volume 14, No 4 (December 2025) pp. 238-247
Abstract
The biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) offers a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach. In the present study, lysate derived from Enterobacter cloacae, isolated from papaya fruit samples was utilized for the biological synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The biogenic AgNPs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The UV–visible spectra demonstrated characteristic bands corresponding to AgNPs, while XRD analysis confirmed their crystalline nature. The presence of capping proteins, which facilitate both the synthesis and stabilization of AgNPs was confirmed by FTIR. The SEM images revealed that the AgNPs were predominantly spherical, with their sizes ranging from 10 to 20 nm. The AgNPs were assessed for their antibacterial effectiveness against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by a modified disk diffusion technique. Remarkably, the AgNPs exhibited pronounced antibacterial activity against Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, highlighting their potential as effective antimicrobial agents.
Full Text
Reference
Alam, M., Analyses of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles produced from strawberry fruit pomace extracts in terms of biocompatibility, cytotoxicity, antioxidant ability, photodegradation, and in-silico studies, J. King Saud Univ. – Sci., 34(8), 102327 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksus.2022.102327
Badar, W. and Khan, M. A. U., Analytical study of biosynthesised silver nanoparticles against multi-drug resistant biofilm-forming pathogens, IET Nanobiotechnology, 14(4), 331–340 (2020).
https://doi.org/10.1049/iet-nbt.2019.0287
Balashanmugam, P., Balakumaran, M. D., Murugan, R., Dhanapal, K. and Kalaichelvan, P. T., Phytogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles, optimization and evaluation of in vitro antifungal activity against human and plant pathogens, Microbiol. Res., 192, 52–64 (2016).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2016.06.004
Bruna, T., Maldonado-Bravo, F., Jara, P. and Caro, N., Silver nanoparticles and their antibacterial applications, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 22(13), 7202 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22137202
Dakal, T. C., Kumar, A., Majumdar, R. S. and Yadav, V., Mechanistic basis of antimicrobial actions of silver nanoparticles, Front. Microbiol., 7, 1831 (2016).
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01831
Dhaka, A., Mali, S. C., Sharma, S. and Trivedi, R., A review on biological synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their potential applications, Results Chem., 6, 101108 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rechem.2023.101108
Durán, N., Fávaro, W. J., Alborés, S., da Costa, T. S.and Tasic, L., Biogenic silver nanoparticles capped with proteins: Timed knowledge and perspectives, J. Braz. Chem. Soc., 34(7), 897–905 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.21577/0103-5053.20230062
Elbaghdady, K., El-Shatoury, E., Abdallah, O.and Khalil, M., Biogenic production of silver nanoparticles by Enterobacter cloacae Ism26, Turkish J. Biol., 42(4), 319–328 (2018).
https://doi.org/10.3906/biy-1801-53
Falgenhauer, E., von Schönberg, S., Meng, C., Mückl, A., Vogele, K., Emslander, Q., Ludwig, C.and Simmel, F. C., Evaluation of an E. coli cell extract prepared by lysozyme-assisted sonication via gene expression, phage assembly and proteomics, ChemBioChem, 22(18), 2805–2813 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202100257
Franci, G., Falanga, A., Galdiero, S., Palomba, L.,Rai, M., Morelli, G. and Galdiero, M., Silver nanoparticles as potential antibacterial agents, Mol., 20(5), 8856–8874 (2015).
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules20058856
Garg, D., Sarkar, A., Chand, P., Bansal, P., Gola, D., Sharma, S., Khantwal, S., Surabhi, Mehrotra, R., Chauhan, N. and Bharti, R. K., Synthesis of silver nanoparticles utilizing various biological systems: Mechanisms and applications — a review, Prog. Biomater., 9(3), 81–95 (2020).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40204-020-00135-2
Ghasemi, S., Dabirian, S., Kariminejad, F., Koohi, D. E., Nemattalab, M., Majidimoghadam, S., Zamani, E. and Yousefbeyk, F., Process optimization for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Rubus discolor leaves extract and its biological activities against multi-drug resistant bacteria and cancer cells, Sci. Rep., 14, 4130 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54702-9
Gomes, B., Murucci, M. D., de Souza, W., Dal-Cheri, K. B.,Resend, A., Yoshihara, N., Geaquinto, L., Granjeiro, J. M., Sant’Anna, C. and Boldrini, L., Defining acceptance criteria for silver nanoparticles: correlating synthesis quality with biological outcomes in an in vitro lung cancer model, Nano Trends, 9, 100090 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nwnano.2025.100090
Hema, K., Anishia, S. R., Rajeswari, S., Padmavathy, V., Sujatha, S. and Thiyagu, M., Green synthesis and multifunctional applications of Moringa oleifera-enhanced TiO₂ nanocomposites, J. Environ. Nanotechnol., 14(1), 7–17 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.13074/jent.2025.03.2511225
Huq, M. A., Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Pseudoduganella eburnea MAHUQ-39 and Their Antimicrobial Mechanisms Investigation against Drug Resistant Human Pathogens, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 21(4), 1510 (2020).
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21041510
Jafar, Z. N. and Athbi, A. M., Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Ethanolic Extract of the Marine Alga Enteromorpha intestinalis and Evaluation of their Antibacterial Activity, Egypt. J. Aquat. Biol. Fish., 28(2), 735–756 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.21608/ejabf.2024.350083
Meher, A., Tandi, A., Moharana, S., Chakroborty, S., Mohapatra, S. S., Mondal, A., Dey, S.and Chandra, P., Silver nanoparticle for biomedical applications: A review, Hybrid Adv., 6(2), 100184 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hybadv.2024.100184
Mohammed, Z. S., Role of nanotechnology in sustainable energy systems, J. Environ. Nanotechnol., 14(2), 82–95 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.13074/jent.2025.06.2511381
More, P. R., Pandit, S., Di Lisio, F., Franci, G., Mijakovic, I. and Galdiero, M., Silver nanoparticles: Bactericidal and mechanistic approach against drug resistant pathogens, Microorg., 11(2), 369 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020369
Nawaz, N., Ahmad, I. and Hussain, I., Biophysical characterization and biological applications of silver nanoparticles derived from Ficus carica, J. Popul. Ther. Clin. Pharmacol., 31(5), 656–667 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.53555/jptcp.v31i5.6216
Rashidi, M. A., Falahi, S., Dehghan, F. S., Ebrahimzadeh, H., Ghaneialvar, H. and Zendehdel, R., Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles by Smyrnium cordifolium plant and its application for colorimetric detection of ammonia, Sci. Rep., 14, 24161 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-73010-w
Răut, I., Constantin, M., Șuică-Bunghez, R., Firincă, C., Alexandrescu, E., Gîfu, I. C., Doni, M.,Zamfir, L. G., Gurban, A. M. and Jecu, L., Extracellular biosynthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized by filamentous fungi, J. Fungi, 10(11), 798 (2024).
https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10110798
Revathi, A., Kalaivani, K., Sriram, K.and Venkatagiri, M., Sustainable synthesis of iron oxide using Plumeria alba flowers: Enhanced dye removal and its antimicrobial activity, J. Environ. Nanotechnol., 14(3), 29–38 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.13074/jent.2025.09.2511374
Rizwan, M., Faisal, S., Tariq, M. H., Zafar, S., Khan, A. and Ahmad, F., Enterobacter hormaechei-driven novel biosynthesis of tin oxide nanoparticles and evaluation of their anti-aging, cytotoxic, and enzyme inhibition potential, ACS Omega, 8(30), 27439–27449 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c02932
Singh, P. and Mijakovic, I., Strong Antimicrobial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Obtained by the Green Synthesis in Viridibacillus sp. Extracts, Front. Microbiol., 13, 820048 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.820048
Singh, S., Singh, A. K., Singh, S. K., Yadav, V. B., Kumar, A. and Nath, G., Current update on the antibiotic resistance profile and the emergence of colistin resistance in Enterobacter isolates from hospital-acquired infections, Microbe, 8, 100432 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microb.2025.100432
Solís-Sandí, I., Cordero-Fuentes, S., Pereira-Reyes, R., Vega-Baudrit, J. R., Batista-Menezes, D.and Montes de Oca-Vásquez, G., Optimization of the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using bacterial extracts and their antimicrobial potential, Biotechnol. Rep., 40, e00816 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00816
Theivasanthi, T. and Alagar, M., Electrolytic Synthesis and Characterizations of Silver Nanopowder,arXiv:1111.0260; (2011)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1111.0260
Thomas, R., Janardhanan, A., Varghese, R. T.,Soniya, E. V., Mathew, J. and Radhakrishnan, E. K., Antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles synthesized by marine Ochrobactrum sp, Braz. J. Microbiol., 45(4), 1221–1227 (2014).
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-83822014000400012
Vidyasagar, N., Patel, R. R., Singh, S. K. and Singh, M., Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles: Methods, biological applications, delivery and toxicity, Mater. Adv., 4(8), 1831–1849 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2MA01105K
Xia, F., Tao, X., Wang, H., Shui, J., Min, C., Xia, Y.,Li, J., Tang, M., Liu, Z., Hu, Y., Luo, H. and Zou, M., Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using the Biofilm Supernatant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA75 and Evaluation of Their Antibacterial, Antibiofilm, and Antitumor Activities, Int. J. Nanomed., 2023(18), 2485-2502 (2023).
