Synthesis of silver nanoparticles from a extract and its antibacterial evaluation on wound dressing material.

The one-pot synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the medium-polar extract of (Sw.) DC. is presented here as an alternative synthesis of metal NPs. Characterisation of the formed NPs showed polydispersed AgNPs ranging from 15 to 100 nm where the concentration of metal ions was found to play a role in the size and shape of the prepared NPs. It could be established that the flavonoids, saponins, and alkaloids present in the extract acted as both reducing and stabilising agents during the formation of the capped metal NPs. This means of NP synthesis was also employed during the in situ immobilisation of AgNPs on gauze and plaster. An evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the medium-polar . extract, AgNPs suspended in solution, and the immobilised AgNPs against (ATCC 25923), (ATCC 11778), and (ATCC 25922) showed high efficacy against the latter in particular. This suggests that gauze, dilute silver nitrate solutions, and extract could be used successfully in the simple in situ preparation of effective antibacterial wound dressings.