Harnessing Plant-Based Nanoparticles for Targeted Therapy: A Green Approach to Cancer and Bacterial Infections

Area of Science:

• Green synthesis of nanoparticles
• Phytochemistry
• Nanomedicine

Background:

• Plant extracts possess bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential.
• Nanoparticles offer novel applications in medicine and materials science.
• Green synthesis provides an eco-friendly alternative to traditional nanoparticle production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumor activities of Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion) and Artemisia annua (Sweet Wormwood) extracts.
• To explore the role of these plant extracts in the green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).
• To characterize the synthesized nanoparticles and evaluate their biological activities and cytotoxicity.

Main Methods:

• Green synthesis of AuNPs and AgNPs using aqueous and ethanolic plant extracts.
• Comprehensive characterization of nanoparticles using UV-Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, SEM, DLS, HRTEM, and zeta potential analysis.
• Evaluation of antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and cytotoxicity assays on LoVo and MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines.

Main Results:

• Solvent-dependent variations in nanoparticle size and stability were observed.
• Gold nanoparticles from Dandelion showed strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus.
• Silver nanoparticles from both plants were effective against E. coli.
• Biogenic silver and gold nanoparticles demonstrated significant reduction in cancer cell viability with favorable selectivity indices.

Conclusions:

• Taraxacum officinale and Artemisia annua extracts are effective agents for green nanoparticle synthesis.
• The synthesized AuNPs and AgNPs exhibit promising antimicrobial and antitumor activities.
• Biogenic nanoparticles show potential for therapeutic applications, warranting further in vivo investigation.