Advantages of silver nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms in antibacterial activity

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have attracted a great deal of interest due to their excellent antimicrobial and catalytic properties. However, the use of harmful substances and the high-energy consumption required for the preparation of silver nanoparticles represent disadvantages that limit their large-scale production. Instead, employing microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria, and yeast to biosynthesize these nanoparticles has begun to receive increased attention as a simpler and more eco-friendly approach to their preparation. Compared to the AgNPs synthesized by other chemical and physical methods, biosynthetically produced AgNPs demonstrate higher antibacterial activities and have more controlled sizes and shapes. In this chapter, the synthesis and antibacterial mechanism of action of biosynthesized AgNPs are presented. In addition, the current limitations and future prospects of these nanoparticles are also discussed herein.