Evaluation of antioxidant & cytotoxicity effects of silver nanoparticles of ethanolic extract of achillea filipendulina on A549 & MRC-5 cell lines

Abstract

Introduction: In recent years, due to AgNPs potential in the field of nanopharmaceuticals, they have been the subject of much research that has been used for imaging, diagnosis and drug delivery. AgNPs can be produced by physical, chemical and biological methods. The popularity of bio-based methods, especially synthesis by plant extracts, has increased as an easy, inexpensive and environmentally friendly method. Aim: The cytotoxicity and antioxidant effects of AgNPs of ethanolic extract of Achillea filipendulina on A549 and MRC-5 cell lines were evaluated. Materials and Methods: Green biosynthesis method was used to synthesize AgNPs. Zetasizer, SEM, UV-Vis, FTIR tests were used to characterization of AgNPs, the antioxidant capacity by DPPH and the total phenol of AgNPs were also evaluated. The effects of AgNPs on two studied cell lines were investigated by MTT method in 48 hours. Results: The average size of AgNPs is 48.94 nm with -32.02 mV zeta potential. Due to SEM results, nanoparticles are spherical with an average size of 47 nm. In the UV-VIS test, the absorbance reached a maximum at 450 nm during 24hrs incubation. FTIR demonstrated the presence of phenolic components in AgNPs’ structure and the role of proteins and phenolic components existing in the extract in the reduction and formation of AgNPs. The antioxidant capacity of AgNPs is a quarter of the extract with the same weight. AgNPs contain a quarter of the polyphenolic components of the extract. The cytotoxicity effect of AgNPs on A549 cells is 1.5 times of MRC-5 cells. The extract has no cytotoxic activity at any concentration. Silver nitrate has 100% lethality in both cell lines. Discussion: The extract significantly reduces the cytotoxic effects of silver nitrate through its capping role and high antioxidant power. Green synthesis of AgNPs is a biocompatible and safe method that has the necessary efficiency.