Anticancer activity of Camellia Sinensis mediated copper nanoparticles against HT-29, MCF-7, and MOLT-4 human cancer cell lines

Abstract

Objective: With the advancement in nanotechnology, it is imperative to unearth its applications in medicine. The present investigation deals with the copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) biosynthesizing capability of the leaves of medicinally important plant, Camellia sinensis. Methods: The phytosynthesized CuNPs were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), nanoparticle tracking analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. In the current study, we have made attempts to exploit the anticancer ability of the CuNPs against human colon cancer cell line (HT-29), human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7), and human leukemia cancer cell line (MOLT-4) through sulforhodamine B assay. We also carried out the synergistic activity with the standard drug adriamycin (ADR). Results: The synthesis of CuNPs was confirmed using EDX analysis where the presence of a strong optical absorption peak was observed at 1 keV, which is typical for the absorption of metallic CuNPs. According to the results obtained, CuNPs showed good antiproliferative results in a dose-dependent manner on HT-29 and MCF-7 cell lines, with 80 µg/ml concentration giving the best result. The synergistic effect of CuNPs+ADR was even better than that of CuNPs alone on all the cell lines. The synergism drug combinations showed high responsive results on the leukemia cell line compared to individual drugs. Conclusion: Among all the treatments and cell lines studied, the most favorable and responsive antiproliferative impact was recorded for CuNPs+ADR combination treatment at 40 µg/ml concentration on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line.