AUTHOR=Mansoor Sheikh , Zahoor Irfana , Baba Tawseef Rehman , Padder Shahid A. , Bhat Z. A. , Koul Aabid Mustafa , Jiang Linghuo 

TITLE=Fabrication of Silver Nanoparticles Against Fungal Pathogens

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nanotechnology

VOLUME=3

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nanotechnology/articles/10.3389/fnano.2021.679358

DOI=10.3389/fnano.2021.679358

ISSN=2673-3013

ABSTRACT=<p>The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against various pathogens is now being well recognized in the agriculture and health sector. Nanoparticles have been shown to exhibit various novel properties and these properties, on other hand, rely upon the size, shape, and morphology of these particles. Moreover, these physical characteristics enable them to interact with microbes, plants, and animals. Smaller-sized particles have shown more toxicity than larger-sized nanoparticles. AgNPs have shown growth inhibition of many fungi like <italic>Aspergillus fumigates</italic>, <italic>A. niger</italic>, <italic>A. flavus</italic>, <italic>Trichophyton rubrum</italic>, <italic>Candida albicans</italic>, and <italic>Penicillium</italic> species. According to the current hypothesis, AgNPs act by producing reactive oxygen species and free radicals, which cause protein denaturation, nucleic acid and proton pump damage, lipid peroxidation, and cell wall damage. Therefore, they alter the cell membrane permeability, causing cell death. This mini-review summarizes the use of silver nanoparticles against fungal pathogens and fungal biofilm in the agricultural sector.</p>