We report a green synthesis of silver nanoparticles that uses extracts from the aerial part of
Artemisia capillaris. Both water and 70% ethanol extracts successfully generated silver nanoparticles.
The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by surface plasmon resonance bands,
Fourier transform-infrared spectra, high resolution-transmission electron and atomic force microscopic
images. Various shapes of silver nanoparticles were generated with an average diameter of
29.71 nm with water extract and 29.62 nm with 70% ethanol extract. An improvement in antibacterial
activity (MIC 8.35–16.7 g/mL) was observed against a total of twenty different strains of
Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. A remarkable enhancement (approximately 12-fold)
was observed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella
oxytoca, and Klebsiella areogenes when compared with the extract alone. Silver nanoparticles
produced by the 70% ethanol extract showed slightly higher antibacterial activity than those generated
with the water extract. The correlation between total flavonoid content of each extract and
the antibacterial activity did not exert any significant relationships. This report suggests that plant
extracts have the potential to be used as powerful reducing agents for the production of biocompatible
silver nanoparticles possessing enhanced antibacterial activities.

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