Bioactive ZnO Nanoparticles: Biosynthesis, Characterization and Potential Antimicrobial Applications

In recent years, biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) have gained tremendous attention because of their safe and non-toxic nature and distinctive biomedical applications. A diverse range of microbes (bacteria, fungi and yeast) and various parts (leaf, root, fruit, flower, peel, stem, etc.) of plants have been exploited for the facile, rapid, cost-effective and non-toxic synthesis of ZnONPs. Plant extracts, microbial biomass or culture supernatant contain various biomolecules including enzymes, amino acids, proteins, vitamins, alkaloids, flavonoids, etc., which serve as reducing, capping and stabilizing agents during the biosynthesis of ZnONPs. The biosynthesized ZnONPs are generally characterized using UV-VIS spectroscopy, TEM, SEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR, etc. Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem for global public health. Due to mutation, shifting environmental circumstances…