Fungal Biogenesis of Silver Nanoparticles: A Review of Their Optimization, Antimicrobial Activity and Cytotoxicity

Nanoparticle production by employing microorganisms especially fungi is a dependable approach, evident by substantial numbers of research works carried out in the past few decades. Both bacteria and fungi can produce nanoparticles that are inexpensive and environmentally friendly. The enzymes cultivated by microorganisms serve as capping and reducing agents, allowing the formation of stable and size-controlled silver nanoparticles. However, compared to bacteria, the biomass of fungi is easier to deal with, easier to scale up and is known to produce smaller-sized nanoparticles (NPs). Nanoparticles of various forms and sizes with several optimization factors like, temperature, pH, amount of substrate, agitation speed, rate of reaction, weight of biomass etc. have been biosynthesized using fungi. This review will emphasize on the importance of biosynthesized (fungal) silver NPs by varying optimization parameters with respect to size and shape, along with their antimicrobial characteristics and cytotoxicity.