Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using <i>Nigella sativa</i> Seeds and Evaluation of Their Antibacterial Activity

Abstract

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles using seeds of Nigella sativa as a capping agent was evaluated in this study. Different concentrations of the aqueous extract of N. sativa with silver nitrate solution were exposed to sunlight; as a force for acceleration of the formulation. Then the silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Antibacterial activity of the nanoparticles was investigated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by the disc diffusion method. The characterization of nanoparticles was detected by the change in color to yellow-brown which indicated the formulation of silver nanoparticles. Irregular shapes within range of nanoscale were detected using SEM and XRD techniques. The finding suggests that silver nanoparticles may be effectively used as antibacterial agent.