Purpose: To synthesize and characterize eco-friendly gold nanorods (Au-NRs) and to assess their
effects against two bacterial strains.
Methods: Synthesis of eco-friendly gold nanorods was done from an aqueous solution of chloroauric
acid and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide by mixing
Olea europaea
fruit and
Acacia nilotica
husk
extracts with the latter as a reducing agent. The synthesis was monitored by ultraviolet–visible (UV)
spectrophotmetry and a zetasizer, while the morphology of the resulting nanorods was assessed by
transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with an
energy-dispersive spectrophotometer (EDS). The effect of the prepared eco-nanorods on growth of
Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were investigated by agar diffusion method.
Results: The synthesized Au-NRs were mostly rod-shaped, with mean size of 96 nm. They exhibited a
potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms (
Escherichia coli
and
Staphylococcus aureus
).
Conclusion: The findings suggest that the nanoformulation of the biomaterial mix of Olea europaea
fruit and Acacia nilotica husk extracts is a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and non-toxic synthesis of Au-NRs which has therpeautic potential.