review · Nanomaterials
Green-synthesised metallic nanoparticles derived from plant extracts show significant antibacterial, antifungal, and antibiofilm potential. Numerous testing methods have been established to assess these pharmacological actions, commonly adapting regulatory guidelines. However, a widespread lack of standardisation in experimental conditions undermines the reproducibility and comparability of results generated across different laboratories. Examining existing protocols highlights substantial discrepancies in experimental design, which directly alter measured biological activities and complicate their interpretation. Establishing dedicated, standardised testing guidelines created by field specialists is essential to address these inconsistencies. A consolidated assessment of current laboratory testing approaches provides a foundation for shaping these future protocols, although substantial experimental investigation remains necessary before reliably effective antimicrobial metallic nanoparticles can be developed using plant-mediated synthesis.
Plant-derived metallic nanoparticles offer promising alternatives for treating bacterial and fungal infections, including stubborn biofilms. However, inconsistent laboratory testing makes it difficult to verify whether these treatments truly work or compare results across studies. Establishing standardised evaluation protocols is a vital first step towards ensuring scientific findings are reliable, comparable, and ultimately capable of supporting practical antimicrobial solutions.
This research is at an early conceptual stage focusing on methodological standardisation rather than a ready product. Establishing uniform testing guidelines could assist biotechnology developers, pharmaceutical researchers, and regulatory bodies in reliably assessing green-synthesised antimicrobial nanoparticles. While these materials show potential for future antibacterial and antifungal treatments, real-world deployment remains distant until standardised experimental protocols are adopted and supported by extensive laboratory validation.
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Metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) produced by green synthesis using plant extracts have attracted huge interest in the scientific community due to their excellent antibacterial, antifungal and antibiofilm activities. To evaluate these pharmacological properties, several methods or protocols have been successfully developed and implemented. Although these protocols were mostly inspired by the guidelines from national and international regulatory bodies, they suffer from a glaring absence of standardization of the experimental conditions. This situation leads to a lack of reproducibility and comparability of data from different study settings. To minimize these problems, guidelines for the antimicrobial and antibiofilm evaluation of MNPs should be developed by specialists in the field. Being aware of the immensity of the workload and the efforts required to achieve this, we set out to undertake a meticulous literature review of different experimental protocols and laboratory conditions used for the antimicrobial and antibiofilm evaluation of MNPs that could be used as a basis for future guidelines. This review also brings together all the discrepancies resulting from the different experimental designs and emphasizes their impact on the biological activities as well as their interpretation. Finally, the paper proposes a general overview that requires extensive experimental investigations to set the stage for the future development of effective antimicrobial MNPs using green synthesis.
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DOI: 10.3390/nano12111841
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