Potential of green-synthesized selenium nanoparticles using apigenin in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells

The utilization of novel compounds as cancer treatments offers enormous potential in this field. The advantages of nanomedicine-based therapy include efficient cellular uptake and selective cell targeting. In this study, we employ selenium nanoparticles' green-synthesized by apigenin (SeNPs-apigenin) to treat breast cancer. We used various assays to show that SeNPs-apigenin can reduce MCF-7 cell viability and trigger apoptosis in vitro. Flow cytometry and PCR methods were used to detect apoptosis, while cell migration and invasion methods were used to quantify the possible effect of SeNPs-apigenin therapy on cell migration and invasion. According to cytotoxicity testing, the SeNPs-apigenin treatment can successfully limit MCF-7 cell proliferation and viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Flow cytometric and PCR analyses revealed that SeNPs-apigenin treatment induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells, demonstrating that SeNPs-apigenin treatment could directly target Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 and result in the discharge of cytochrome C from mitochondria into the cytosol, accompanied by the initiation of cell death, leading to permanent DNA damage and killing of MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, treatment with SeNPs-apigenin increased reactive oxygen species production and oxidative stress in MCF-7 cells. Our findings indicate that SeNPs-apigenin has cytotoxic potential in the treatment of breast cancer.