Silver nanoparticles Clinacanthus Nutans leaves extract induced apoptosis towards oral squamous cell carcinoma cell...

Area of Science:

• Nanomedicine
• Cancer Biology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a significant health concern.
• Developing novel therapeutic agents with targeted cytotoxicity is crucial.
• Silver nanoparticles (AgNps) synthesized from natural sources offer potential anticancer properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the apoptotic activity of silver nanoparticles derived from Clinacanthus nutans (AgNps-CN) against HSC-4 oral cancer cell lines.
• To evaluate the cytotoxicity of AgNps-CN towards normal cells.
• To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of AgNps-CN-induced cell death.

Main Methods:

• Cytotoxicity was assessed using MTT assays.
• Apoptosis and cell cycle progression were analyzed via flow cytometry.
• Morphological changes were observed using microscopy.
• Western blotting was employed to examine key apoptosis-related proteins (Bax/Bcl-2).

Main Results:

• AgNps-CN exhibited significant cytotoxicity towards HSC-4 cells with a low IC50 value (1.61 µg/mL).
• No significant cytotoxicity was observed in normal 3T3-L1 cells at tested concentrations.
• AgNps-CN induced apoptosis in HSC-4 cells, evidenced by cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and an increased Bax/Bcl-2 protein ratio due to Bcl-2 downregulation.
• Morphological analysis confirmed apoptotic characteristics in treated cells.

Conclusions:

• AgNps-CN demonstrate potent inhibitory effects against HSC-4 oral cancer cells.
• The observed low IC50 highlights the efficacy of these biosynthesized nanoparticles.
• AgNps-CN induce apoptosis in cancer cells, suggesting a promising therapeutic potential for oral cancer treatment.
• Further in vivo and molecular studies (e.g., PCR) are recommended to validate these findings.