Bioinspired Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles for Enhanced Anti-Cancer Activity and Cell Viability Studies

¹ Department of CSE, GRIET, Bachupally, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
² Uttaranchal University, Dehradun - 248007, India
³ Centre of Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University, Rajpura - 140417, Punjab, India
⁴ Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India,
⁵ Chitkara Centre for Research and Development, Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh - 174103 India
⁶ Department of Chemistry, Research & Incubation Centre, Rayat Bahra University Chandigarh-Ropar NH 205, Greater Mohali, Punjab, 140103, India

^* Corresponding author: bhupathi.prashanthi@gmail.com

Abstract

Gold nanoparticles, or AuNPs, have garnered significant attention in biomedical research, especially in cancer therapy, due to their unique physicochemical properties. This work discusses the bioinspired production of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using plant extracts as reducing and stabilizing agents. This research conducted the synthesis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to analyze the synthesized nanoparticles. These approaches were used to characterize the nanoparticles’ dimensions, morphology, stability, and functional groups. At a wavelength of 532 nm, the nanoparticles, averaging 18 ± 3 nm in size, exhibited a pronounced surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak, indicating the efficacy of the manufacturing method. Cell viability assessments performed using HeLa (a cervical cancer cell type), MCF-7 (a breast cancer cell model), and WI-38 (a healthy fibroblast cell model) demonstrated a concentration-dependent reduction in cancer cell viability, with little impact on healthy cells. At a concentration of 100 µg/mL of AuNPs, the viability of HeLa and MCF-7 cells decreased to 35.2% and 41.7%, respectively. The viability of WI-38 cells was maintained at 83.4%. The analysis of apoptosis revealed that the AuNPs induced apoptosis in cancer cells. The early and late apoptosis rates in HeLa cells were 35.4% and 45.8%, respectively, but in MCF-7 cells, they were 32.5% and 42.1%. The therapeutic efficacy of the nanoparticles was significantly enhanced by the bioactive compounds isolated from the plant. The eco-friendly synthesis method used in this study not only provides a sustainable means for nanoparticle production but also enhances the potential for their application in anti-cancer therapies. The therapeutic applications of these bioinspired AuNPs will be further explored via in vivo tests, which will be the emphasis of next research.