EVALUATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES PRODUCED BY GREEN SYNTHESIS FROM ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI Fusarium spp. And Penicillium spp.

• Grant number: 22/12836-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: November 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Cristina Paiva de Sousa
• Grantee: Laísa Adriana de Paula Luizon Garcia
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The increase in bacterial resistance to antimicrobials has become a major problem for public health in recent decades. In this context, the application of metallic nanoparticles in the health area appears as a promising alternative. When associated with secondary metabolites of endophytic microorganisms, the effect of metallic nanoparticles can be enhanced through the synergism between biomolecules and the intrinsic properties of the metal. Endophytic fungi, microorganisms that live in mutualistic association with plants, are a rich source of bioprospecting for bioactive compounds. The objective of the present project is to synthesize silver nanoparticles through green synthesis, an ecologically sustainable approach that uses biological organisms as biofactories in the production of metallic nanoparticles. The endophytic fungi Fusarium spp. and Penicillium spp., isolated from Polygala spp., will be used in the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles. Subsequently, the nanoparticles will be submitted to evaluative assays to test their antimicrobial, antibiofilm and cytotoxic effects.