title: Silver nanoparticles biosynthesized using Achillea biebersteinii flower extract: apoptosis induction in MCF-7 cells via caspase activation and regulation of Bax and Bcl-2 gene expression.
abstract: Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), the most popular nanoparticles, possess unique properties. Achillea biebersteinii is a plant of the Asteraceae family rich in active antitumor components. The aim of this research was the characterization and investigation of the cytotoxic properties of Ag-NPs synthesized using A. biebersteinii flower extract, on a human breast cancer cell line. The Ag-NPs were synthesized after approximately 180 min of reaction at 40 °C, then they were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The anti-apoptosis effect of Ag-NPs on the MCF-7 cell line was investigated by MTT assay, DAPI and acridine orange staining and caspase activity. The transcriptional expression of bax, bcl-2, caspase-3, -8 and -9 were also evaluated by RT-PCR. The TEM images revealed that the Ag-NPs morphology had a different shape. The DLS indicated that the average hydrodynamic diameter of the biosynthesized Ag-NPs was around 12 nm. By UV-visible spectroscopy the strongest absorbance peak was observed at 460 nm. The FTIR results also showed interaction between the plant extract and Ag-NPs due to the similarity in the peak patterns. The EDS results showed that Ag-NPs display an absorption peak at 3 keV, indicating the presence of the element silver. The Ag-NPs caused a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability, fragmentation in nucleic acid, inhibited the proliferation and induction of apoptosis on MCF-7 by suppressing specific cell cycle genes, and simulation programmed cell dead genes. Further investigation is required to establish the potential of this novel and promising approach in cancer therapy.
authors: Research Center for Animal Development Applied Biology, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad 917568, Iran. baharara@yahoo.com.|Department of Biology, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad 917568, Iran. baharara@yahoo.com.
authors: Javad
authors: J
authors: Baharara
authors: Research Center for Animal Development Applied Biology, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad 917568, Iran. farideh.namvar@putra.upm.edu.my.|Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia. farideh.namvar@putra.upm.edu.my.
authors: Farideh
authors: F
authors: Namvar
authors: Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran 14911, Iran. tayeberamezani@gmail.com.
authors: Tayebe
authors: T
authors: Ramezani
authors: Research Center for Animal Development Applied Biology, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad 917568, Iran. m_moosavi_k@yahoo.com.
authors: Marzieh
authors: M
authors: Mousavi
authors: Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia. farizanmohd@gmail.com.|Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia. farizanmohd@gmail.com.
authors: Rosfarizan
authors: R
authors: Mohamad
mesh_terms: D031162:Achillea / Q000737:chemistry*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: C494826:BAX protein, human; C000595707:BCL2 protein, human; D010936:Plant Extracts; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D012834:Silver; D020169:Caspases