Investigating The Anticancer and Antioxidant Activity of Silver Nanoparticles from Rosmarinus officinalis, in vitro Analysis

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles have emerged as anticancer agents due to their ability to generate free radicals which induce damage to the cellular membrane. In this study, the Rosmarinus officinalis (R. officinalis) leaf extract was used for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (ROAgNPs). The potency of anticancer and antioxidant effect of ROAgNPs was demonstrated. UV-vis spectrophotometer was used to measure the absorption peaks of the ROAgNPs. The chemical substances present on the nanoparticle surface were determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Zeta potential was used to determine the surface charge of ROAgNPs for understanding the interaction of the ROAgNPs with the  cancer cell wall. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) was used for imaging of the ROAgNPs and size analysis. The anticancer effect of ROAgNPs was performed using lung cancer cells (A549) and cervical cancer cells (HeLa), and the antioxidant activity was performed using DPPH. The absorption peak showed a position at 420 nm, and zeta potential exhibited a value of -5.72mV.  FTIR analysis divulged the chemical compounds in plant extracts that act as reducing and capping agents during ROAgNP synthesis.  FESEM images showed that ROAgNPs were monodispersed with a size of 15.60 nm and displayed typical anticancer and antioxidant effectiveness.