Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (CTNP's) by Clitoria ternatea flower in the aqueous extract was investigated. Synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by using UV-Visible spectroscopy, followed by DLS, Zeta potential, XRD, FTIR, SEM, and AFM. The biocompatibility nature of CTNP's was determined using erythrocytes model system. Cytotoxicity of CTNP's against MCF-7 and EAC cells were determined by using MTT and Trypan blue exclusion method and their IC50 was found to be 19.37 µg/mL and 24 µg/mL. Cytotoxic potential of CTNP's was further confirmed by clonogenic assay. Further in vivo studies using EAC mice model supports the anti-cancer potential of silver nanoparticles. Results found that the CTNP's effectively control the proliferation rate by inhibiting the ascites secretion and cellular density. Further quantification of VEGF, microvessel density counts and CAM assays show the anti-angiogenic potential of the CTNP's. The apoptotic inducing activity of CTNP's was confirmed by DNA fragmentation, fluorescent staining studies. More interestingly, EAC treated mice exhibit significant increase in lifespan (~ 2.25 fold) compared to control EAC mice. Interestingly CTNP's did not exhibit any secondary complications against normal mice. The present findings give an experimental proof that the CTNP's could serve as a promising candidate to overcome limitations of existing conventional cancer therapeutics.
Keywords: Angiogenesis; Anticancer; Apoptosis; Clitoria ternatea; Cytotoxicity; Nanoparticles.