Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from Eichhornia crassipes and evaluates their antimicrobial properties against multidrug-resistant UTI pathogens

Multidrug resistance is a rising concern for global public health. Antibiotic and antifungal resistance infections demand new antimicrobial approaches. This is the first time Silver Nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were biosynthesized using Eichhornia crassipes leaf extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent in Bangladesh. The Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-vis) spectra observed at 468 nm and 454 nm, with a maximum absorbance of 1.516 for the 1:2 ratio (60 min) and 0.546 for the 1:2 ratio (30 min), respectively. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated that functional groups, including 3333.11 cm^-1 (51.06% T) for carboxyl, 2191.23 cm^-1 (97.27% T) for alkyne, 1632.58 cm^-1 74.89% T) for carbonyl, and 627.08 cm^-1 (91.6% T) for chlorinated groups in the leaf extract, probably contribute to the reduction of metallic ions and the formation of nanoparticles. The antibacterial effectiveness of the synthesized Ag NPs was evaluated against antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains obtained from patients with Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) at Kushtia Sadar Hospital, as well as against fungal infections. The disk diffusion technique is used to evaluate the antibacterial and antifungal activity, as well as the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and the Minimum Bactericidal/Fungicidal Concentration (MBC/MFC) tests. Notably, the synthesized Ag NPs exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against MEBTN 4(EF) and MEBTN 6(EF), with inhibition zone diameters ranging from 6 ± 0.1 to 13 ± 0.1 mm. The MIC and MBC values against MEBTN 6(EF) were 15 µg/mL and 60 µg/mL, respectively, indicating strong bactericidal activity. Antifungal assays revealed a MIC value of 18 µg/mL. The findings revealed substantial antimicrobial efficacy of Ag NPs against Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) UTI pathogens and pathogenic fungi, underscoring their broad-spectrum effectiveness in a new era of treatment. Future research should prioritize comprehensive in vivo toxicity assessments, elucidation of the underlying mechanisms, investigation of anti-cancer properties, including ROS-mediated effects, and optimization of large-scale production processes.