Abstract
The development of eco-friendly nanomaterials has emerged as a promising alternative to conventional chemical synthesis methods, which often involve toxic reagents and generate hazardous by-products. With the advancement of nanotechnology, the field of modern science has essentially changed and offered progressive solutions in medicine, engineering, and the environmental field. Novel antibacterial drugs are desperately needed due to the rising incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and spinach-mediated synthesis of IONPs offers a viable and economical strategy. The main goal of this study is to devise a sustainable, economical, environmentally friendly, system to produce iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) with Spinacia oleracea (spinach) leaf extract and also to test how they can be used as a new antibacterial platform. Specific objectives include creating concentrated aqueous extracts, using UV-visible spectroscopy and FTIR to verify synthesis, and assessing antibacterial activity against clinically relevant pathogens. Fresh spinach leaves were boiled in distilled water at 70°C for 20 minutes, then the extract was cooled, filtered, and stored. A 0.1M solution of FeCl₃.6H₂O was gradually added to the spinach extract with continuous stirring, followed by 24-hour incubation, centrifugation at 10,000 rpm, and drying at 60°C. The successful formation of nanoparticles was observed by color change from green to dark brownish-black, with zeta potential analysis showing -8.37 mV indicating phytochemical capping. The synthesized Fe-NPs demonstrated concentration-dependent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with significantly larger zones of inhibition at higher concentrations (p < 0.001). Future work should focus on cytotoxicity studies, broader microbial testing, and scaling up production to explore industrial applications