Abstract
The efficacy of current cancer therapies is limited due to several factors, including drug resistance and non-specific toxic effects. Due to their tuneable properties, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and graphene derivative-based nanomaterials are now providing new hope to treat cancer with minimum side effects. Here, we report a simple, inexpensive, and eco-friendly protocol for the preparation of silver-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites (Ag/RGO NCs) using orange peel extract. This work was planned to curtail the use of toxic chemicals, and improve the anticancer performance and cytocompatibility of Ag/RGO NCs. Aqueous extract of orange peels is abundant in phytochemicals that act as reducing and stabilizing agents for the green synthesis of Ag NPs and Ag/RGO NCs from silver nitrate and graphene oxide (GO). Moreover, the flavonoid present in orange peel is a potent anticancer agent. Green-prepared Ag NPs and Ag/RGO NCs were characterized by UV-visible spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results of the anticancer study demonstrated that the killing potential of Ag/RGO NCs against human breast cancer (MCF7) and lung cancer (A549) cells was two-fold that of pure Ag NPs. Moreover, the cytocompatibility of Ag/RGO NCs in human normal breast epithelial (MCF10A) cells and normal lung fibroblasts (IMR90) was higher than that of pure Ag NPs. This mechanistic study indicated that Ag/RGO NCs induce toxicity in cancer cells through pro-oxidant reactive oxygen species generation and antioxidant glutathione depletion and provided a novel green synthesis of Ag/RGO NCs with highly effective anticancer performance and better cytocompatibility.
Highlights
Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), as one of the noble metals, possess unique physicochemical properties, including high thermal and electrical conductivity, high catalytic activity, good chemical stability, and surface-enhanced plasmon resonance effects [1,2]
reduced graphene oxide (RGO) surfaces have a large number of oxygen functional groups and surface defects, which makes them favourable for the development of nanocomposites (NCs) of RGO and metal/metal oxide for biomedical applications [14]
Investigators are devoting a large amount of attention to the development of RGO and metal/metal oxide-based NCs due to their inherently superior biological activities that cannot be achieved by single composition [15,16,17]
Summary
Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), as one of the noble metals, possess unique physicochemical properties, including high thermal and electrical conductivity, high catalytic activity, good chemical stability, and surface-enhanced plasmon resonance effects [1,2]. Ag NPs display excellent biological activities, e.g., broad-spectrum antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities [3,4,5]. Due to their great optical properties, Ag NPs have been used in electronics, catalysis, and biosensors [6]. The toxicity of Ag NPs has been reported in several in vitro and in vivo (mammalian and non-mammalian animals) studies [9,10,11] Graphene derivatives, such as graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO), have received great attention in the fields of electronics, sensing, and biomedicine due to their incredible physical and chemical features. Investigators are devoting a large amount of attention to the development of RGO and metal/metal oxide-based NCs due to their inherently superior biological activities that cannot be achieved by single composition [15,16,17]
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