ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The present research was done to investigate the anticancer properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) fabricated using bioactive extract of Onopordum acanthium L. (AgNPs-OAL) against breast cancer cells MDA_MB231 in vitro. METHODS: The determination studies of AgNPs-OAL were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis. Interestingly, the FESEM image observed the spherical shape of AgNPs-OAL with the range of 1-100 nm. RESULTS: As AgNP-OAL exhibited significant cytotoxicity properties on breast cancer MDA_MB231 cells with IC50 values of 66.04 µg/mL, while lowing toxicity toward normal human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells with IC50 values of 101.04 µg/mL was evaluated. Further, up-regulation of apoptotic Bax and CAD gene expressions were confirmed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) technique results. Moreover, enhanced cell cycle population (sub-G1), annexin V/PI staining, acridine orange and ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining, Hoescht 33,258 dye, and generation of reactive oxygen species were observed in AgNP-OAL-treated MDA_MB231 cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: The green-synthesized AgNP-OAL has promising anticancer efficiency that can trigger apoptosis pathways in the MDA_MB231 breast cancer cells.
Subject(s)
Metal Nanoparticles/therapeutic use , Onopordum/metabolism , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Apoptosis/drug effects , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Cell Cycle , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Survival/drug effects , Female , Green Chemistry Technology/methods , HEK293 Cells , Humans , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism , Silver/metabolismABSTRACT
Onopordum acanthium L. (Asteraceae) is a plant native to southern Europe and southwestern Asia, but it is invasive in disturbed areas and agricultural fields around the world, causing many agronomic problems by interfering with crops or preventing animals from grazing on pastures. Allelopathy could be one of the reasons that this plant has spread over different continents. The aim of the present study was to bioprospect O. acanthium leaf extracts through the isolation and purification of allelopathic secondary metabolites with phytotoxicity to explain their invasive behavior. Phytotoxic activity was tested using etiolated wheat coleoptiles. The most active extract was selected to perform a bioassay-guided isolation of two flavonoids, pectolarigenin (1) and scutellarein 4'-methyl ether (2), and two sesquiterpene lactones, elemanolide 11(13)-dehydromelitensin ß-hydroxyisobutyrate (3) and acanthiolide (4). All compounds were isolated for the first time from O. acanthium, and acanthiolide (4) is described for the first time. Compound 3 strongly inhibited the growth of wheat coleoptiles and 1 showed an intermediate effect. The results indicate that these compounds could contribute to the invasion of O. acanthium in ecological systems and agricultural fields.
