Physicochemical Properties and Antibacterial Activity of Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles from Melothria pendula Linn. (Pipinong-Gubat) Leaf Extract

Nanoparticles have all kinds of unexpected benefits in different fields and industry. For this reason, the demand for nanoparticles is increasing at overwhelming rate the increased demand resulted to increase in production. Conventional method in synthesizing nanoparticles have been reported to be capital intensive, inefficient in materials and energy use. Because of this, researchers are leaning to biological method in synthesizing NPs. In this study, aqueous leaf extract of Melothria pendula Linn. (Pipinong-gubat) was used to biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and the biosynthesized nanoparticle underwent physicochemical and antibacterial analysis. Physical and chemical properties of leaf extract have been determine having an black color, pleasant odor, boiling point of 94.3°C, density of 0.94g/mL, pH of 8 slightly basic and polar in both water and ethanol and non-polar in hexane. Secondary metabolites that are present in leaf extract are alkaloids, saponins and terpenoids. Having a coloration of yellowish-brown, the synthesized AgNPs was characterized using UV-VIS Spectrophotometer that the resulting peak confirm the formation of AgNps, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) determined the functional group that was present and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) determined the surface morphology that shows AgNps in agglomeration state at a magnification of (a) 1000 k (b) 2000 k (c) 3000 k (d) 4000 k and a diameter of (a) 100 um (b) 30 um (c) 30 um (d) 20 um. In terms with its antibacterial result, it was found out to be effective against S. aureus and E. coli. It has a clear zone of inhibition of 5mm in S. aureus and 3.67mm in E.coli. Furthermore, statistical treatment shows that there is no significant in antibacterial activity between positive control (Chloramphenicol) and sample (AgNPs). This implies that the sample could be a substitute to the market as antibacterial agent against S. aureus and E. coli.