In Vitro and In Vivo Antitumor Activity of Silver Nanoparticles on B16 Melanoma

Abstract

Melanoma, one of the most malignant tumors, is difficult to treat due to its high drug resistance. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used as antimicrobial agents in biomedical fields. In this study, the spherical AgNPs with average sizes of 5[Formula: see text]nm were prepared using a dopamine reduction method. The in vitro study shows that AgNPs with the concentrations of 0.5[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]g/mL and 1[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]g/mL exhibit good biocompatibility to 3T3L1 fibroblast cells. AgNPs with the same concentrations significantly inhibited the growth of B16 melanoma cells. In culture with B16 cells, AgNPs induced intracellular oxidative stress by generating the reactive oxygen species and reducing the superoxide dismutase, which further reduces the mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, the damage in mitochondria could activate mitochondrion-mediated cell apoptosis. The B16 cells apoptosis was analyzed by FITC-Annexin V/propidium iodide double staining assay, which confirms that AgNPs caused the abundance of apoptotic cells in different stages. Thus, AgNPs displayed the antitumor activity in vitro. Then, the therapeutic efficacy in vivo was evaluated in mice-bearing B16 melanoma tumors. The obtained results show the antitumor ability of AgNPs and provide a potential strategy for cancer treatment.