Anticancer efficacy of green synthesized silver nanoparticles from Artemisia monosperma against human breast cancer cells

Abstract

Owing to their anticancer effects and tremendous potential in medicine, green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using plant extracts has gained considerable attention recently. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AM-AgNPs) were synthesized using Artemisia monosperma and their anticancer effects were tested against MCF-7 cells. The synthesized AM-AgNPs were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. The anticancer potential of AM-AgNPs was evaluated by MTT and NRU assays. Furthermore, mechanism(s) of anticancer effects of AM-AgNPs was assessed by cellular morphological damage, ROS production, and mitochondrial membrane dysfunction. Our results revealed that the AM-AgNPs were crystalline and face-centered cubic, with an average size of 24 nm. The green synthesized AM-AgNPs induced a significant decrease in cell viability by 13–86% in 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and 9–79% in neutral red uptake (NRU) assay at 10–100 μg/mL, respectively, indicating potent anticancer properties. The IC50 value for both assays was nearly 32 μg/mL. Additionally, imaging studies revealed that AM-AgNPs triggered cell death. Furthermore, our results indicated that the anticancer activity exhibited by AM-AgNPs in MCF-7 cells was mediated by ROS generation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Overall, AM-AgNPs are excellent candidates for treating breast cancer.