Evaluation of the antimicrobial potency of silver nanoparticles biosynthesized by using an endophytic fungus, Cryptosporiopsis ericae PS4.

In the present study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with an average particle size of 5.5 ± 3.1 nm were biosynthesized using an endophytic fungus Cryptosporiopsis ericae PS4 isolated from the ethno-medicinal plant Potentilla fulgens L. The nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible spectrophotometer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), selective area electron diffraction (SAED), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy analysis. Antimicrobial efficacy of the AgNPs was analyzed singly and in combination with the antibiotic/antifungal agent chloramphenicol/fluconazole, against five pathogenic microorganisms--Staphylococcus aureus MTCC96, Salmonella enteric MTCC735, Escherichia coli MTCC730, Enterococcus faecalis MTCC2729, and Candida albicans MTCC 183. The activity of AgNPs on the growth and morphology of the microorganisms was studied in solid and liquid growth media employing various susceptibility assays. These studies demonstrated that concentrations of AgNPs alone between 10 and 25 μM reduced the growth rates of the tested bacteria and fungus and revealed bactericidal/fungicidal activity of the AgNPs by delaying the exponential and stationary phases. Examination using SEM showed pits and ruptures in bacterial cells indicating fragmented cell membrane and severe cell damage in those cultures treated with AgNPs. These experimental findings suggest that the biosynthesized AgNPs may be a potential antimicrobial agent.