Fusarium as a Novel Fungus for the Synthesis of Nanoparticles: Mechanism and Applications

Abstract

Nanotechnology is a new and developing branch that has revolutionized the world by its applications in various fields including medicine and agriculture. In nanotechnology, nanoparticles play an important role in diagnostics, drug delivery, and therapy. The synthesis of nanoparticles by fungi is a novel, cost-effective and eco-friendly approach. Among fungi, Fusarium spp. play an important role in the synthesis of nanoparticles and can be considered as a nanofactory for the fabrication of nanoparticles. The synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from Fusarium, its mechanism and applications are discussed in this review. The synthesis of nanoparticles from Fusarium is the biogenic and green approach. Fusaria are found to be a versatile biological system with the ability to synthesize nanoparticles extracellularly. Different species of Fusaria have the potential to synthesise nanoparticles. Among these, F. oxysporum has demonstrated a high potential for the synthesis of AgNPs. It is hypothesised that NADH-dependent nitrate reductase enzyme secreted by F. oxysporum is responsible for the reduction of aqueous silver ions into AgNPs. The toxicity of nanoparticles depends upon the shape, size, surface charge, and the concentration used. The nanoparticles synthesised by different species of Fusaria can be used in medicine and agriculture.

Keywords: Fusarium; agriculture; mechanism; medicine; nanofactory; nanoparticles; synthesis; toxicity.

Figure 1

The advantages of using Fusarium spp. for the synthesis nanoparticles (NPs).

Figure 2

TEM micrographs presenting sphere-shaped AgNPs synthesized by various Fusarium species. (A) F. graminearum; (B) F. solani; (C) F. oxysporum; (D) F. culmorum; (E) F. scirpi; (F) F. tricinctum. (Reproduced with permission from Gaikwad et al. [30]).

Figure 3

General mechanism involved in the synthesis, growth, and stabilization of metal nanoparticles using fungus.

Figure 4

Hypothetical mechanism of AgNPs biosynthesis from F. oxysporum (Adapted from Duran et al. [67], an open-access article).

Figure 5

Hypothetical intracellular mechanisms for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles from F. oxysporum (Adapted and modified from Yadav et al. [13]; with copyright permission from Springer).

Figure 6

Biomedical applications of biogenic NPs synthesised from different Fusaria.

Figure 7

Applications of Nanotechnology in agri-food, veterinary medicine, and environment.