Antimicrobial Properties of Silver and Copper Nanoparticles Synthesized by Green Synthesis Method

<ns3:p>These days, difficult-to-treat bacterial infections are occurring with increasing frequency. Antibiotic drug resistance posesa serious challenge in both medical and military contexts, threatening the effectiveness of therapies and the ability to combat infectionsin extreme conditions. Nanobiotechnology methods, particularly metal nanoparticles, could be a potential solution due to their uniquebiological, chemical, and physical properties, as well as the potent antimicrobial activity they exhibit. The presented research aimed toproduce silver (AgNPs) and copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) by an environmentally friendly method without synthetic reducing agents(in contrast to classical methods of synthesizing nanoparticles) and to determine antimicrobial properties. For this purpose, the synthesisof silver and copper nanoparticles using coffee bean extract was carried out. Then the zeta potential and size distribution of theobtained nanoparticles were determined. The minimum inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal or fungicidal concentrations (MBC/MFC)were determined on biological models (C. albicans, S. enterica, L. monocytogenes), the viability of microorganisms was analyzed, andthe number of colony-forming units was determined. The results show that silver nanoparticles have a more potent antimicrobial effect,which was confirmed in all the tests carried out, as well as exhibiting more excellent colloidal stability compared to copper nanoparticles.</ns3:p>