A Comparative Antimicrobial Activity Study of Moringa oleifera Extracts Encapsulated within ALg Nanoparticles

Introduction: The encapsulations of phytochemical compounds within nanoparticles are attracting interest as a novel effective strategy to induce bacterial damage regardless of antibiotic sensitivity. Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the antibacterial activities of different extracts of Moringa oleifera combined with alginate nanoparticles (ALg NPs) against different pathogenic bacteria. Methods: The Moringa-ALg NPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, and FTIR. In addition to that, the antimicrobial activities were assessed by using the agar well diffusion method. Moreover, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) was utilized to examine the ultrastructural changes induced in bacteria by Moringa-ALg NPs. Results: In this study, the Moringa-ALg NPs have a hydrodynamic diameter of 12 nm and zeta potential of -56 mV. The FTIR results indicatde the successful encapsulation of Moringa within ALg NPs. On the other hand, the Moringa-ALg NPs exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against all examined pathogens as compared to pure Moringa extracts. Furthermore, the SEM images revealed that the bacterial cells exposed to Moringa-ALg NPs had an irregular and wrinkled appearance. Conclusion: In summary, these results suggested that the Moringa-ALg NPs could be used as a powerful antibacterial agent against a wide range of microbes.