Green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using a Dysphania ambrosioides extract. Structural characterization and antibacterial properties.

The Structural properties of Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) as well as their antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; as well as bacteria that are usually found in the mouth of humans and are related to dental conditions, such as Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguinis, are presented in this report. ZnO-NPs were grown by green synthesis, using the Mexican plant Dysphania ambrosioides known in Mexico as "epazote", which was used by native populations of Mexico as a dewormer, is currently used widely in traditional Mexican cuisine and is rich in organic compounds as flavonoids and terpenes which may favor the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs). ZnO-NPs were synthesized by the mentioned technology and were compared with commercial ZnO-NPs as a reference. Synthesized and commercial ZnO-NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetry (TG). Antibacterial properties were evaluated using a disc diffusion test (Kirby-Bauer method). The results indicate that ZnO-NPs were synthesized in the size range of 5-30 nm. The presence of the ZnO crystalline phase was identified by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and XRD analysis. The commercial ZnO-NPs were in the size range of 15-35 nm. The antibacterial test indicates that most of the bacterial strains used in this study were sensitive to synthesized and commercial NPs, with Prevotella intermedia being the most sensitive to ZnO-NPs.