Green Synthesis of Selenium Nanoparticles Mediated from Curcuma longa L. Leaves Extract for Enhanced Antibacterial Efficacy

Green synthesis was found to be an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach for producing selenium nanoparticles with good antibacterial properties. Curcuma longa L. commonly known as turmeric is a plentiful plant resource however only the rhizome is in demand by the markets leaving the leaves as waste. Therefore, in this study, Curcuma longa L. leaves extract was used in selenium nanoparticles synthesis from sodium hydrogen selenite, NaHSeO3. The synthesizing process was assisted by microwave heating for 20 minutes at 500 W power. The formation of SeNPs was initially observed from the colour changes of the solution from brownish plant extract to deep orange colour. The surface plasmon resonance of SeNPs was also tested by UV spectra with absorbance at wavelength 265 nm to further confirm the formation of SeNPs. FESEM imaging was also performed to analyse the morphology and the size of the SeNPs with average sizes of 129 and 167 nm. The chemical composition of the SeNPs was also investigated using FTIR to study the functional group responsible for biosynthesized SeNPs. The shifting of O-H at and C=O at shows that these functional groups were involved in SeNPs production. Then the SeNPs were exposed to two different gram pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The inhibition The SeNPs mediated from C. longa L. extract was found to successfully inhibit the S. Aureus bacteria at 11.01mm. These SeNPs has the potential for applications to combat infection causes by S. aureus.