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Preparation and Photoacoustic Analysis of Cellular Vehicles Containing Gold Nanorods
Published on: May 2, 2016
Potential use of gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles derived from Garcinia mangostana peel for anticancer compound,
Kar Xin Lee1, Kamyar Shameli1, Yuki Nagao2
1Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Abstract:
Colorectal cancer is one of the most killing cancers and this has become a global problem. Current treatment and anticancer drugs cannot specifically target the cancerous cells, thus causing toxicity towards surrounding non-cancer cells. Hence, there is an urgent need to discover a more target-specific therapeutic agent to overcome this problem. Core-shell nanoparticles have emerged as good candidate for anticancer treatment. This study aimed to synthesize core-shell nanoparticles via green method which utilised crude peels extract of Garcinia mangostana as reducing and stabilising agents for drug delivery. Gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles (Au-AgNPs) were synthesized through seed germination process in which gold nanoparticles acted as the seed. A complete coating was observed through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) when the ratio of AuNPs and AgNPs was 1:9. The size of Au-AgNPs was 38.22 ± 8.41 nm and was mostly spherical in shape. Plant-based drug, protocatechuic acid (PCA) was loaded on the Au-AgNPs to investigate their anticancer activity. In HCT116 colon cancer cells, PCA-loaded Au-AgNPs (IC50 = 10.78 μg/ml) showed higher inhibitory action than the free PCA (IC50= 148.09 μg/ml) and Au-AgNPs alone (IC50= 24.36 μg/ml). Up to 80% inhibition of HCT116 cells was observed after the treatment of PCA-loaded Au-AgNPs at 15.63 μg/ml. The PCA-loaded Au-AgNPs also showed a better selectivity towards HCT116 compared to CCD112 colon normal cells when tested at the same concentrations. These findings suggest that Au-AgNPs system can be used as a potent nanocarrier to combat cancerous cells by offering additional anticancer properties to the loaded drug.
Insights
Green synthesized gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles loaded with protocatechuic acid show enhanced anticancer activity against colon cancer cells. This novel nanocarrier system offers improved drug delivery and selectivity, addressing limitations of current cancer therapies.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Colorectal cancer poses a significant global health challenge.
- Current cancer treatments lack specificity, leading to toxicity in healthy cells.
- Target-specific therapeutic agents are urgently needed for effective cancer treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize green core-shell nanoparticles using Garcinia mangostana extract for targeted drug delivery.
- To investigate the anticancer efficacy of protocatechuic acid (PCA)-loaded gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles (Au-AgNPs).
- To evaluate the selectivity of PCA-loaded Au-AgNPs against colon cancer cells.
Main Methods:
- Green synthesis of gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles (Au-AgNPs) using Garcinia mangostana peel extract.
- Characterization of Au-AgNPs using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine size, shape, and coating.
- Loading of plant-based drug protocatechuic acid (PCA) onto Au-AgNPs.
- In vitro evaluation of anticancer activity and selectivity in HCT116 colon cancer cells and CCD112 normal colon cells.
Main Results:
- Au-AgNPs were successfully synthesized with complete coating at a 1:9 AuNPs to AgNPs ratio, exhibiting a size of 38.22 ± 8.41 nm and spherical morphology.
- PCA-loaded Au-AgNPs demonstrated significantly higher inhibitory action against HCT116 cells (IC50 = 10.78 μg/ml) compared to free PCA (IC50 = 148.09 μg/ml) and Au-AgNPs alone (IC50 = 24.36 μg/ml).
- PCA-loaded Au-AgNPs achieved up to 80% inhibition of HCT116 cells and showed enhanced selectivity towards cancer cells over normal colon cells.
Conclusions:
- Green synthesized Au-AgNPs serve as an effective nanocarrier for protocatechuic acid.
- The PCA-loaded Au-AgNPs system exhibits potent anticancer activity and improved selectivity for colon cancer cells.
- This nanocarrier approach offers a promising strategy for developing targeted cancer therapies with reduced side effects.
