Antitumor effect of bio-fabricated silver nanoparticles towards ehrlich ascites carcinoma

Abstract

The current study aimed to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo anticancer potential of the silver nanoparticles fabricated with butanol fraction of Pinus roxburghii needles (PNb-AgNPs). In vitro results revealed significant cytotoxicity of PNb-AgNPs towards Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) cells with an IC50 of 47.02 ± 1.11 μg/ml. Further, morphological changes, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial depolarization, and DNA fragmentation elucidated EAC cell death by PNb-AgNPs exposure. The cell cycle analysis displayed an increase in the Sub-G1 population (52%), further confirmed by nuclear fragmentation in EAC cells after PNb-AgNPs treatment. The hemolytic investigation revealed the biocompatible nature of PNb-AgNPs. In vivo experiments were performed using the liquid Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma tumor model, which clearly showed a reduction in tumor growth and body weight following PNb-AgNPs treatment in EAC-bearing mice as compared to untreated controls. Moreover, elevated hematological and biochemical parameters were found to restore to normal range in EAC-bearing mice treated with PNb-AgNPs. Overall, PNb-AgNPs effectively induced apoptotic cell death in EAC cells and exhibited remarkable in vivo antitumor potential.