###### Abstract  
This article reports on a new way of valorizing vine leaves waste as a renewable resource of polyphenols. The nanoparticles containing zinc complexes were prepared by a green synthesis method using the aqueous extract of vine leaves as a natural source of ligands for the complexation of zinc ions. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Another objective of this study was to obtain a cream into which the biosynthesized nanoparticles would be incorporated. In the formulation of the new cream, we aimed to use the minimal required amounts of synthetic emulsifiers and to use natural products as co-emulsifiers or as viscosity modifiers. The organoleptic characteristics and the physicochemical properties of the obtained creams were evaluated. The experimental results confirmed that the creams wherein the nanoparticles containing zinc complexes were incorporated exhibited antimicrobial activity against the bacterial species _Staphylococcus aureus_, methicillin-resistant _Staphylococcus aureus_, _Escherichia coli_ and the yeast _Candidia albicans_. The values obtained for pH, viscosity and spreading diameter of the creams produced indicate that these formulations are suitable for topical applications. nanoparticles; biopolymers; zinc complexes; surfactants; cream; antimicrobial activity +
Footnote †: journal: _Sci._  
0000-0002-0001-9999-22000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-00000-0000-00000-00000-00000-0000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-0000  
was synthesized, but shortly after the introduction of methicillin, new strains of _Staphylococcus aureus_ were identified that exhibited resistance to the \(\beta\)-lactam antibiotics, known as methicillin-resistant _Staphylococcus aureus_ (MRSA) [3]. Yeasts, like _Candida albicans_, a pathogenic yeast that can survive in various internal organs/systems of the body and on the surface of the skin, constitutes another threat to the life of patients with reduced immunity. Invasive candidiasis can be transmitted through surgery, burns and skin wounds. Usually, _Candida albicans_ infections are treated using antifungal drugs. Although there are many classes of antifungal drugs, only a few of them can be used to treat systemic infections with various _Candida_ species since most of the antifungal drugs present a series of limitations in terms of toxicity, limited action spectrum, route of administration, high cost and availability. The emergence of _Candida albicans_ strains resistant to the action of the antifungal agents limits the use of these drugs [4]. To overcome these limitations, several studies have sought to identify new therapeutic strategies for treating candidiasis [5]. Nanoparticles (NP) act simultaneously by different mechanisms against microorganisms and thus become a promising alternative in the fight against antibiotic resistance [6; 7; 8]. The metals-containing nanoparticles have the advantage of acting simultaneously by multiple mechanisms against the microbes, and therefore, it is difficult for microbial cells to resist the action of nanoparticles. Different techniques were used to synthesize nanoparticles containing metals that can be grouped into physical methods, chemical methods and biological methods. Many species of plants, algae, fungi, bacteria and viruses were used to synthesize inorganic nanoparticles like silver, gold, copper, CuO, TiO\({}_{2}\) and ZnO [9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16]. The green synthesis using different perennial plant species, available in large quantities, is a simple and cost-effective approach that is preferred to the chemical methods since these ones usually are more laborious, have higher production costs and might generate hazardous by-products, with adverse effects in the medical applications [17].