Green synthesized silver nanoparticles from Artocarpus hirsutus flower extract induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in HT29 colon cancer cells

Abstract

From past few years, there has been an emerging interest in environmentally friendly synthesis methods for nanoparticles due to their potential applications in catalysts, electronics, photonics, and ceramic drugs. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have attention for their potential biomedical applications, including anticancer activity. This study aims to develop a sustainable approach for producing AgNPs using Artocarpus hirsutus as a biological source and to explore their phytochemical constituents with anticancer properties and apoptotic gene expression. The obtained AgNPs were assessed using UV-Visible spectroscopy, FTIR techniques, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis. SEM examinations demonstrated that the produced AgNPs predominantly displayed both spherical and irregular morphologies, with an average dimension falling within the 20 to 50 nm range. FTIR analysis results indicated the availability of biological compounds in the methanol flower extract of Artocarpus hirsutus which function as reducing and capping agents for the bio fabrication of AgNPs. To assess their cytotoxic effects, experiments were conducted on human colon cancer HT-29 cells in vitro through DNA fragmentation, DCFDA staining, flow cytometry, and MTT assays. Different doses (25, 50, 100, 250, and 500 µg/ml) of the methanol flower extract were exposed to HT-29 colorectal adenocarcinoma cells, and the synthesized AgNPs exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity, promoting apoptosis in the cell lines. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to confirm the Significant down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl2 in HT-29 colorectal adenocarcinoma cells treated with synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The findings indicate that the green synthesized AgNPs exhibit significant cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing effects in HT-29 colorectal cancer cells. However, further studies involving normal cell lines and in vivo models are required to validate their therapeutic potential.