Summary
The current strategies used to treat cancer have various drawbacks such as damage to healthy tissues, side effects, drug resistance, and autoimmune reactions and hence chemotherapeutics having the best possible outcomes, lower toxicity and that can improve quality of life (QoL) of the patients are needed. The void in availability of treatment of this deadly disease with lesser side effects can be filled by using ecofriendly nanoparticles which have shown enormous therapeutic potential. Green synthesis refers to an environmentally friendly method of synthesizing nanoparticles that utilizes biological entities such as plants, microorganisms, or green (plant) extracts. In this study, we are planning to use green synthesis approach to synthesize Silver-selenium nanoparticles (Ag-Se NPs) as a cancer (liver) treatment modality as it is gaining popularity due to its cost-effectiveness, eco-friendliness, and biocompatibility. Ag-Se NPs are composite nanoparticles that combine the properties of both silver and selenium. These nanoparticles are of interest due to their unique physicochemical properties. The green synthesis of Ag-Se NPs typically involves reduction of silver and selenium ions in an aqueous or organic medium using chemical, physical, or biological methods. In ecofriendly NP production, biological entities like plants, microorganisms, or their extracts are employed as reducing and capping agents and hence this study involves the use of the plant Phyllanthus niruri. Phyllanthus niruri (also known as stonebreaker or gale of the wind) has been studied for its potential anticancer activity. Some laboratory studies have suggested that extracts from this plant have antitumor effects. Hence this study is aimed to synthesize ecofriendly Phyllanthus niruri mediated AgSeNPs and evaluate their pharmacological (anticancer) activity.
Objectives
1- Synthesize, optimize, and characterize selenium-silver nanoparticles using Phyllanthus niruri extract.
2- Investigate the biocompatibility of developed nanoparticles against normal cell lines.
3- Evaluate the anti-cancer potential of developed nanoparticles in mammalian cell lines (Liver cancer cells) using MTT assay.
4- Explore the apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential of developed nanoparticles using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.
Funding Agency:
MOHERI