Green tea-mediated synthesis of silver nanoparticles: Enhanced anti-cancer activity and reduced cytotoxicity melanoma and normal murine cell lines

Abstract

BackgroundGreen tea has been extensively studied as a therapeutic agent in various types of cancer, demonstrating its potential through its antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-collagen production and accumulation, anti-inflammatory, and immune-enhancing properties. Another promising field of research is the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which are utilized for antimicrobial and anticancer therapies. In this study, we explore the green synthesis of AgNPs using an extract derived from Green tea. Additionally, we investigate the cytotoxic effects of these nanoparticles on both malignant murine melanoma cell lines (B16F10) and normal murine cell lines (L929). Material and methodsGreen tea extract-mediated natural synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was verified using UV–vis spectroscopy, DLS, TEM, and AFM techniques. The MTT assay was also used to study the cytotoxic effect of Green tea-AgNPs. The apoptosis rate was determined using anexin/PI and real-time PCR was performed for cellular and molecular levels. ResultsThe obtained results demonstrate the successful synthesis of uniformly distributed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Green tea extract, yielding nanoparticles with an average size of 91 nm. MTT results showed Green tea-AgNPs reduced B16F10 cell viability with an IC50 of 20.2 but had no effect on L929 cell lines. Furthermore, Green tea-AgNPs enhanced the percentage of apoptosis in B16F10 but decreased the rate of apoptosis in L929 when compared to AgNPs. The BAX/BCL2 ratio increased after B16F10 was exposed to Green tea-AgNPs, however it reduced in L929. ConclusionThe findings of the study reveal that the Green tea-synthesized silver nanoparticles (Green tea-AgNPs) exhibit enhanced anti-cancer activity specifically against melanoma cells, while concurrently reducing the cytotoxic effects on normal cells. This suggests that the Green tea-AgNPs produced through this method hold great potential for further exploration and application in anti-cancer research.