Anti‑cancer effects of green synthesized gold nanoparticles using leaf extract of Annona muricata. L against squamous cell carcinoma cell line 15 through apoptotic pathway

Abstract

Background: Oral cancer remains one of the most dreadful diseases in developing nations.
Currently, there has been a rise in the prevalence of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), with
a poor prognosis. The use of standard treatment approaches against oral cancer patients brings
about several side effects. In recent years, nanomedicine has provided a versatile platform for
developing new targeted therapeutic modalities. However, safety remains a concern in the synthesis of
nanoparticles (NPs). Therefore, the present study aims to synthesize safer phytoconstituent‑mediated
gold NPs (AuNPs) utilizing leaf extracts of Annona muricata, where the biochemical components
of the plant leaf act as the reducing and capping agents in the synthesis of NPs, and to evaluate its
anti‑cancer activity against SCC.
Materials and Methods: In this in vitro experimental study, AuNPs were synthesized through an
effective, simple, and ecologically sound green synthesis method. After characterization of these
synthesized AuNPs, in vitro assays such as 3‑(4, 5‑dimethylthiazole2‑yl)‑2, 5‑biphenyl tetrazolium
bromide, wound healing, and clonogenic assays were carried out to investigate the anti‑cancer
potential of green synthesized AuNPs in the human tongue SCC cell line (SCC‑15), and the possible
mechanism of action was evaluated through gene and protein expression analysis of Bax, Bcl‑2, and
p53 genes. The results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation using Statistical Package for
Social Sciences (SPSS) 20.0 software and Student’s t‑test was performed for experimental data.
P ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: The in vitro assays demonstrated that the synthesized AuNPs are exhibiting anti‑cancer
activity by apoptosis of SCC‑15 cells in a dose‑dependent manner. Further, it also revealed a highly
significant decrease in anti‑apoptotic Bcl‑2 gene expression, whereas pro‑apoptotic genes p53
and Bax revealed a highly significant increase, which is statistically significant compared to the
control (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that the AuNPs synthesized from A. muricata leaf extract
could act as a novel anticancer agent, particularly against SCC, after further scrutiny.
Key Words: Anticancer agent, apoptosis, nanoparticles, oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

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S. Jeslin Mary: Pubmed,Google Scholar