Abstract
Therapeutic selectivity is a critical issue in cancer therapy. As a result of its adjustable physicochemical characteristics, the Au/cellulose nanocomposite currently holds a lot of potential for solving this challenge. This work was designed to prepare a Au/cellulose nanocomposite with enhanced anticancer activity through the regulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathway. Nanocellulose, nanogold (AuNPs), and a Au/cellulose nanocomposite were biosynthesized from microgreen alga Chlorella vulgaris. Using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM), zeta potential analyzer, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the synthesized nanoparticles were confirmed and characterized. In human alveolar basal epithelial cells (A549 cells), the selectivity and anticancer activity of the produced nanoparticles were evaluated. The cytotoxicity results revealed that the inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the Au/cellulose nanocomposite against A549 cancer lung cells was 4.67 ± 0.17 µg/µL compared to 182.75 ± 6.45 µg/µL in the case of HEL299 normal lung fibroblasts. It was found that treatment with nanocellulose and the Au/cellulose nanocomposite significantly increased (p < 0.05) the relative expression of tumor suppressor 53 (p53) in comparison to control cells. They also significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the relative expression of the Raf-1 gene. These findings indicate that nanocellulose and the Au/cellulose nanocomposite regulate cell cycles mostly via the motivation of p53 gene expression and reduction of Raf-1 gene expression.
Highlights
Nanocellulose is made up of a bundle of 1,4-glucan chains with a radial diameter up to 4 nm and has at least one dimension > 100 nm
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the possibility of using Au/cellulose nanocomposites as antitumor therapy
Micro-green algae Chlorella vulgaris represented an eco-friendly method of Au/cellulose nanocomposites biosynthesis
Summary
Nanocellulose is made up of a bundle of 1,4-glucan chains with a radial diameter up to 4 nm and has at least one dimension > 100 nm. Nanocellulose was classified into two main types: namely, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) [1]. Acid hydrolysis can be used to make nanocellulose from cellulose. In addition to being renewable, nanocellulose has advantages of stiffness, excessive strength, dimensional stability, chemical inertness, small coefficient of thermal expansion, little density, the capacity to alter its surface chemistry, a high surface to-volume ratio, and superior tensile strength [2]. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have a large surface area, strong catalytic activity, and high surface energy [3]. When AuNPs are exposed to oxygen or very acidic conditions, they are inert and are not oxidized [4]
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