Biomedical applications of chitosan-coated phytogenic silver nanoparticles: An alternative drug to foodborne pathogens.

The biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was performed using crude rosmarinic acid (RA) from plants as a reducing agent and coated with chitosan biopolymer. The prepared particles were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A surface plasmon resonance peak at 430 nm indicates the emergence of AgNPs. XRD showed that the AgNPs were crystalline with an average crystalline size of 30 nm and TEM studies revelad that AgNPs were spherical without aggregation. The prepared CS-AgNPs exhibited good bactericidal properties against foodborne pathogens, such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In particular, 100 μg/mL CS-AgNPs inhibited the growth of the selected bacteria and controlled their biofilm-forming ability. Band-aid cloth assay confirmed that the CS-AgNPs could be used in the medical field to prevent bacterial infections. The prepared CS-AgNPs increased the survival rate of Artemia species and exhibited antioxidant activity in conjunction with bactericidal properties against selected foodborne pathogens.