AccScience Publishing / GPD / Volume 2 / Issue 4 / DOI: 10.36922/gpd.2155
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Exploring the “Carpenter” as a substrate for green synthesis: Biosynthesis and antimicrobial potential

Akamu J. Ewunkem1* ,  Zahirah J. Williams2 ,  Niore S. Johnson1 ,  Justice L. Brittany1 ,  Adesewa Maselugbo3 ,  Kyle Nowlin3
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1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Physical Sciences, Winston Salem State University, Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA
2 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Natural and Physical Sciences, Winston Salem State University, Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA
3 Department of Nanoscience, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
GPD 2023, 2(4), 2155 https://doi.org/10.36922/gpd.2155
Submitted: 1 November 2023 | Accepted: 27 November 2023 | Published: 29 December 2023
© 2023 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

The frequent use of antibiotics has created favorable conditions for bacteria to develop resistance. Bacterial resistance is a global health issue, causing at least 1 million deaths worldwide annually. The quest for new and effective antimicrobials with activities against resistant bacteria demands immediate attention. The use of nanoparticles as alternatives to conventional antibiotics may have the potential to combat bacterial resistance. Silver nanoparticles, in particular, have captivated the interest of most researchers by virtue of their broad-range antimicrobial activity against bacteria, stemming from their strong biocidal effect on microorganisms. Conventionally, silver nanoparticles have been synthesized through physical, chemical, and biological processes. However, the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from the wings of carpenter bees (Xylocopa virginica), abundantly available in summer in the United States of America, is yet to be explored. In this study, we report the synthesis of silver nanoparticles using wing extracts from X. virginica. Subsequently, the biosynthesized nanoparticles were characterized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of the biosynthesized nanoparticles against two common Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria, namely, Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus, and Staphylococcus aureus, using microdilution method. The study outcomes indicate that biosynthesized silver nanoparticles from X. virginica wing extract demonstrated an absorption band at 440 nm, and SEM revealed spherical nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 20–60 nm. In addition, biosynthesized silver nanoparticles from the wings of X. virginica exhibited antimicrobial activity against all the tested bacteria, signifying their potential in biomedical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural applications.

Keywords
Carpenter bee
Xylocopa virginica
Nanoparticles
Antimicrobial
Bacteria
Green synthesis
Funding
Winston Salem State University
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Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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