Antibacterial Activities of Plant-Derived Metallic Nanoparticles on Some Selected Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Isolates

Background and Objective: Bacterial infections particularly with the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains have become an urgent threat to public health. Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs), such as Silver Nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) and Copper-Oxide Nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) have been shown to exhibit strong and sustainable antibacterial action against a wide array of microorganisms. Hence, this research was aimed at evaluating the antibacterial effects of plant-derived bimetallic nanoparticles on some selected multidrug-resistant bacterial strains. Materials and Methods: The clinically isolated multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumonia were obtained from Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria. The Ag-NPs and CuO-NPs were synthesized from the aqueous leaf extract of Carica papaya (ALECP). The green synthesis of the NPs was confirmed and characterized by the spectroscopic method, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) analysis. The synthesized NPs were also combined to formulate the bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs). The antibacterial activity of the synthesized NPs and the formulated BNPs was evaluated using disc diffusion and broth dilution (MIC) methods. Results: The synthesized Ag- and CuO-NPs and the formulated BNPs have shown remarkable antibacterial activities against the tested clinically isolated multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this research work, the Ag- and CuO-NPs as well as the formulated BNPs can be developed and used as alternatives for resolving or combating antibiotic resistance in the tested MDR bacterial strains.