Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles Using Alnus nitida Leaf Extract as a Potential Antioxidant and Anticancer Agent

Fazli Khuda; Meshal Gul; Atif Ali Khan Khalil; Sajid Ali; Naveed Ullah; Muhammad Shafiq Khan; Shabnam Nazir; Sumaira Irum Khan; Sultan Mehtap Büyüker; Saud Almawash; Muhammad Shafique; Sayed Afzal Shah

doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c02928

Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles Using Alnus nitida Leaf Extract as a Potential Antioxidant and Anticancer Agent

ACS Omega. 2023 Aug 14;8(33):30221-30230. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c02928. eCollection 2023 Aug 22.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacy, University of Peshawar, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan.
² Department of Pharmacognosy, Institute of Pharmacy, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
³ Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200, Pakistan.
⁴ Department of Pharmacy, University of Swabi, Swabi 23430, Pakistan.
⁵ Department of Pharmacy, Abbottabad University of Science and Technology, Havelian 22500, Pakistan.
⁶ Department of Pharmacy, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan.
⁷ Department of Pharmacy, Mirpur University of Science and Technology, Mirpur 10250, Pakistan.
⁸ Department of Pharmacy Services, Üsküdar University, İstanbul 34662, Turkey.
⁹ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Shaqra University, Shaqra 11961, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan.

Abstract

Biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using plant extracts is gaining attention as a substitute to the conventional physical and chemical synthesis methods. This study reports a facile, cost-effective, and ecofriendly synthesis of AgNPs using leaf extract of Alnus nitida (A. nitida) and their antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. The biosynthesized AgNPs were characterized using various analytical techniques including UV-visible spectroscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering. The antioxidant and cytotoxic potential of the extract and AgNPs was evaluated using different in vitro models. The UV-vis analysis revealed a surface plasmon resonance peak of 400 nm corresponding to the synthesis of AgNPs. SEM analysis confirmed the formation of heterogeneously dispersed particles of nano size, while the XRD and FTIR spectra confirmed the crystallinity and existence of different functional groups that helped in capping and stability of AgNPs. The antioxidant activity of AgNPs and extract, studied by 1,1-diphenyl 2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), 2, 2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and H₂O₂ scavenging assays, showed a dose-dependent effect. The AgNPs at 1000 μg/mL significantly scavenged DPPH, FRAP, ABTS, and H₂O₂ by 66.45, 74.65, 78.81, and 72.56% with an average IC₅₀ value of 33.31, 18.50, 16.46, and 15.65 μg/mL, respectively. The cytotoxic potential investigated by MTT assay revealed promising antiproliferative effects against different cancer cell lines. The IC₅₀ values of AgNPs on MDA-MB-231, A549, and Hep-G2 cells were 14.88, 3.6, and 5.38 μg/mL, respectively. The results showed that AgNPs were more effective against lung and hepatocellular carcinoma. The selectivity index showed that AgNPs remained highly selective in retarding the growth of A549 and Hep-G2 cells as compared to normal cell lines HPAEpiC and HRPTEpiC. Overall, this study showed that biosynthesized AgNPs were associated with considerable antioxidant and cytotoxic effects. Our work suggests that A. nitida-mediated AgNPs should be evaluated further in order to develop safe and effective formulations for the treatment of different degenerative diseases.