Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are known to exhibit anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities. They have been reported to reduce the levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) - alpha proinflammatory cytokine involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis - in cell lines. As patients with breast cancer have been reported to have higher serum TNF levels, we aimed at developing a novel treatment for breast cancer by evaluating the effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum extract (TFG)-reduced AgNPs on the MCF-7 cell line, which serves as a model of human breast cancer.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: TFG-capped AgNPs were synthesized using a green reduction method, in which TFG reduced silver nitrate to generate AgNPs-TFG. The particle size, surface charge, ultraviolet (UV)-visible (VIS) spectra, surface morphology, % yield, and in vitro Ag+ release of the formulated AgNPs-TFG were evaluated. Additionally, the prepared NPs were examined for cytotoxicity using real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR), 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
RESULTS: The prepared AgNPs-TFG were uniform, small, discrete, and non-aggregated with a particle size of 22.5 +/- 0.75 nm and zeta-potential of -47.45 +/- 0.666 mV. The yield of AgNPs-TFG was 224.545 +/- 3.9 mu M. Furthermore, the AgNP-TFG thin film exhibited a prolonged release of Ag+ in phosphate buffer for up to 11 h. AgNPs-TFG suppressed TNF-alpha expression at mRNA and protein levels in MCF-7 cells. Additionally, the formulated AgNPs-TFG did not exhibit any toxicity toward MCF-7 cells.
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that Ag-NP-TFG could effectively inhibit TNF-alpha. These results provide significant insights for developing new therapeutic strategies for cancer and other inflammatory illnesses.