## 3 Results and Discussion
### Anttimicrobial Activity of Various NPs  
Metal NPs, particularly Ag NPs, are well known for their antimicrobial properties [28,45]. Au NPs have traditionally been considered less effective than Ag NPs in this regard [3,26]. However, recent evidence suggests that Au NPs can exhibit antibacterial effects similar to those of Ag NPs when functionalized with suitable capping agents [41]. If low-toxicity Au-Ag alloy NPs exhibit substantial antimicrobial activity, they may be used in burn treatment and wound healing. Table 3 presents the MIC and MFC values for the antimicrobial activities of various NPs and MQLE. Che-Au NPs exhibited limited antimicrobial activity. MIC and MFC values for biosynthesized Au NPs were 50-75 and 75-100 mg/L, respectively. Although Che-Ag NPs effectively inhibited microbial growth, biosynthesized Ag NPs were more potent than Che-Ag NPs. Biosynthesized Au-Ag alloy NPs exhibited remarkable antimicrobial activity, with MIC and MFC values of 2.5-10 and 15-20 mg/L, respectively. [PERSON] et al. (2020) reported an MIC value of 480 mg/L for the antibacterial activity (against _P. aeruginosa_ and _S. aureus_) of Au-Ag alloy NPs synthesized using _Asparagus racemosus_ root extract [46]. [PERSON] et al. (2022) indicated an MIC value of 31.25 mg/L for the antibacterial activity (against _P. aeruginosa_) of Au-Ag alloy NPs synthesized using propolisis extract [47]. [PERSON] et al. (2023) reported an MIC value of 25-50 mg/L for the activity of sericin-mediated Au-Ag alloy NPs against various foodborne pathogens [41]. [PERSON] et al. (2016) reported that the antifungal activity of Au-Ag alloy NPs synthesized using cell-free extract of _Bacillus safensis_ against _A. niger_ was 83.33% at 200 mg/L [48]. Compared with \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline  & **MQLE** & **Che-AgNPs** & **Che-AuNPs** & \begin{tabular}{c} **Bio-Capped** \\ **AgNPs** \\ \end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}{c} **Bio-Capped** \\ **AuNPs** \\ \end{tabular} & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **Bio-Capped** \\ **AuNPs** \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} **Bio-Capped** \\ **Au-Ag Alloy NPs** \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline DPPH & 134.7 \(\pm\) 12.5 & 452.6 \(\pm\) 16.7 & 33.5 \(\pm\) 2.4 & 95.4 \(\pm\) 8.2 & 12.6 \(\pm\) 1.3 & 14.6 \(\pm\) 1.5 \\ ABTS & 78.2 \(\pm\) 8.3 & 386.1 \(\pm\) 20.4 & 28.6 \(\pm\) 3.2 & 64.1 \(\pm\) 6.1 & 8.3 \(\pm\) 0.6 & 10.6 \(\pm\) 0.9 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: IC\({}_{50}\) values (mg/L) for the DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging effects of various NPs and MQLE. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline  & **MQLE** & **Che-AgNPs** & **Che-AuNPs** & \begin{tabular}{c} **Bio-Capped** \\ **AgNPs** \\ \end{tabular} & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **Bio-Capped** \\ **AuNPs** \\ \end{tabular} &
\begin{tabular}{c} **Bio-Capped** \\ **Au-Ag Alloy NPs** \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline \multicolumn{8}{c}{MIC} \\ \hline _E. coli_ & 75 & 20 & \(>\)500 & 2.5 & 50 & 2.5 \\ _S. aureus_ & 75 & 40 & \(>\)500 & 5 & 75 & 10 \\ _P. aeruginosa_ & 150 & 20 & \(>\)500 & 2.5 & 75 & 2.5 \\ \hline \multicolumn{8}{c}{MFC} \\ \hline _C. albicans_ & 300 & 100 & 200 & 15 & 75 & 15 \\ _A. niger_ & 125 & 75 & \(>\)500 & 10 & 100 & 20 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: MIC and MFC values (mg/L) for the antimicrobial activities of various NPs and MQLE. the literature, the Au-Ag alloy NPs synthesized in the present study exhibited promising antimicrobial activity. MQLE exhibited moderate antimicrobial potential, suggesting that the observed activity partially stemmed from the components of the capping agent. Notably, Au-Ag alloy NPs exhibit enhanced antimicrobial activity when combined with antibiotics against _E. coli_, _S. aureus_, _P. aeruginosa_, and _C. albicans_[28], inhibiting biofilm formation [3]. In addition, these NPs exhibit strong antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi [13]. The increased efficacy of bio-capped Au-Ag alloy NPs may be attributable to the synergistic effects of Au NPs and Ag NPs or bioactive compounds in the bio-capping agent [28]. [PERSON] et al.