Transformation of Biowaste for Medical Applications: Incorporation of Biologically Derived Silver Nanoparticles as Antimicrobial Coating

Abstract

Nanobiotechnology has undoubtedly influenced major breakthroughs in medical sciences. Application of nanosized materials has made it possible for researchers to investigate a broad spectrum of treatments for diseases with minimally invasive procedures. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been a subject of investigation for numerous applications in agriculture, water treatment, biosensors, textiles, and the food industry as well as in the medical field, mainly due to their antimicrobial properties and nanoparticle nature. In general, AgNPs are known for their superior physical, chemical, and biological properties. The properties of AgNPs differ based on their methods of synthesis and to date, the biological method has been preferred because it is rapid, nontoxic, and can produce well-defined size and morphology under optimized conditions. Nevertheless, the common issue concerning biological or biobased production is its sustainability. Researchers have employed various strategies in addressing this shortcoming, such as recently testing agricultural biowastes such as fruit peels for the synthesis of AgNPs. The use of biowastes is definitely cost-effective and eco-friendly; moreover, it has been reported that the reduction process is simple and rapid with reasonably high yield. This review aims to address the developments in using fruit- and vegetable-based biowastes for biologically producing AgNPs to be applied as antimicrobial coatings in biomedical applications.

Keywords: antimicrobial coating; biomedical; biowaste; nanobiotechnology; silver nanoparticles.

Figure 1

The approaches in silver nanoparticle synthesis involve bottom-up and top-down approaches.

Figure 2

A pie chart visualizing the general dominance of prominent biowastes in the field of silver nanoparticle (AgNP) synthesis.

Figure 3

The mechanism of action of AgNPs affected through cell binding via the mechanism of AgNPs’ adhesion to the cell membrane.

Figure 4

The mechanism of action of AgNPs affected through membrane penetration assisted by electrostatic repulsion and hybridization.

Figure 5

The mechanism of action of AgNPs affected through the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Figure 6

The mechanism of action of AgNPs effected through the inhibition of signal transduction [117].

Figure 7

The various applications of AgNPs.

Figure 8

The challenges and gaps of AgNP applications.