Microbial synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles and their potential application as an antimicrobial agent and a feed supplement in animal industry: a review

Abstract

In recent years, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have gained tremendous attention attributed to their unique properties. Notably, evidence has shown that zinc is an important nutrient in living organisms. As such, both prokaryotes and eukaryotes including bacteria, fungi and yeast are exploited for the synthesis of ZnO NPs by using microbial cells or enzyme, protein and other biomolecules compounds in either an intracellular or extracellular route. ZnO NPs exhibit antimicrobial properties, however, the properties of nanoparticles (NPs) are depended upon on their size and shape, which make them specific for various applications. Nevertheless, the desired size and shape of NPs can be obtained through the optimization process of microbes mediated synthesis by manipulating their reaction conditions. It should be noted that ZnO NPs are synthesized by various chemical and physical methods. Nonetheless, these methods are expensive and not environmentally friendly. On that account, the microbes mediated synthesis of ZnO NPs have rapidly evolved recently where the microbes are cleaner, eco-friendly, non-toxic and biocompatible as the alternatives to chemical and physical practices. Moreover, zinc in the form of NPs is more effective than their bulk counterparts and thus, they have been explored for many potential applications including in animals industry. Notably, with the advent of multi-drug resistant strains, ZnO NPs have emerged as the potential antimicrobial agents. This is mainly due to their superior properties in combating a broad spectrum of pathogens. Moreover, zinc is known as an essential trace element for most of the biological function in the animal’s body. As such, the applications of ZnO NPs have been reported to significantly enhance the health and production of the farm animals. Thus, this paper reviews the biological synthesis of ZnO NPs by the microbes, the mechanisms of the biological synthesis, parameters for the optimization process and their potential application as an antimicrobial agent and feed supplement in the animal industry as well as their toxicological hazards on animals.

Biogenic Synthesis of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanoparticles Using a Fungus (Aspargillus niger) and Their Characterization

“…In intracellular synthesis metal ions are transported within the cell wall where these are reduced by enzymes present there and then nuclei grow to form nanoparticles in the periplasmic space and cytoplasm. Mukherjee et al reported intracellular mechanism for NPs by verticillium sp.consisting of three steps trapping, bioreduction, and capping (Yusof et al, 2019).…”

“…Nevertheless only a few microbes are reported to have synthesized ZnO NPs. There is a need to investigate more potential microbes for the synthesis of ZnO NPs (Yusof et al, 2019).…”

“…Scalability is another factor responsible for the commercial production of nanoparticles by fungi (Pantidos and Horsfall, 2014). Fungi have a great tolerance to higher metal concentrations and also great binding ability and reduce larger amount of metal ions into metal NPs by secreting a large number of extracellular redox proteins and enzymes (Yusof et al, 2019)…”

Ecofriendly Synthesis and Insecticidal Application of Copper Nanoparticles against the Storage Pest Tribolium castaneum

“…Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) have been used in full applications such as agriculture, medicine, environment, industrial engineering, and various technological fields. Recently, studies in the agriculture field emphasized the influence of some simple elements related to the economics of plants [4][5][6][7]. The combination of biological principles with different chemical and physical methods is called bio-nanotechnology producing nanoparticles with specific functions [8,9].…”

Sustainable microbial cell nanofactory for zinc oxide nanoparticles production by zinc-tolerant probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum strain TA4

“…different than their bulkier counterparts. Recently, ZnO NPs are utilized in various applications, such as pharmaceuticals [2], cosmetics [3], photocatalysis [4], and dietary supplement for animals [5]. Many chemical methods are proposed for the synthesis of ZnO NPs, including sol-gel process, solvent evaporation and precipitation from microemulsion [6].…”