Green Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles and Investigation of Its Antimicrobial Properties

Nanoparticles containing copper metal ions and their derivatives are being used for different medical purposes to prevent infections, ulcers etc. the aim of this study was to qualitatively determine the phytochemicals present in the ethanolic extract of kigelia africana fruit (which are responsible for the reduction of the copper ions as well as stabilization of the nanoparticles), the synthesis of copper nanoparticles (cunps) through a green synthesis route from the ethanolic extract of kigelia africana fruit and the anti-microbial assessment of the synthesized cunps. the synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by uv-vis spectrophotometer. phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, tannins, carbohydrate and terpenoids. the synthesized cunps were confirmed by the change in colour from dark yellow to dark green. the cunps displayed promising antibacterial activity on pseudomonas aeruginosa, shigella sp., staphylococcus aureus, salmonella typhi, e. coli. the highest inhibition activity was exhibited by pseudomonas aeruginosa (17.0 ± 4.24 mm). the cunps showed considerable antifungal activity against aspergillus flavus and aspergillus niger with inhibition activity of 8.0 ± 2.83 mm and 3.0 ± 4.24 mm respectively. conclusively, the synthesized cunps from kigelia africana should be incorporated as a therapeutic drug for microbial infectious disease and other health associated disorders.