The current study was carried out to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) via bioactive fraction of Pinus roxburghii needles using a simple, cost-effective, and eco-friendly green chemistry method. As butanol fraction of P. roxburghii exhibited maximum anticancer activity on lung adenocarcinomas (A549) as compared to other fractions therefore, butanol fraction was used to synthesize silver nanoparticles (PNb-AgNPs). The characterization studies by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) confirmed the synthesis of the nanoparticles. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis showed the spherical structure of nanoparticles with an average diameter of approximately 80 nm. Interestingly, PNb-AgNPs exhibited significant cytotoxicity towards both A549 and prostatic small cell carcinomas (PC-3) with IC50 values of 11.28 ± 1.28 μg/ml and 56.27 ± 1.17 μg/ml, respectively, while lacking toxicity against normal human breast epithelial cells (fR2) and human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Further, enhanced reactive oxygen species generation, mitochondrial depolarization, apoptotic cell population (sub-G1) and DNA fragmentation observed in cancer cells were treated with PNb-AgNPs. Apoptosis was demonstrated by caspase-3 and PARP-1 activation in PNb-AgNPs-pretreated cancer cells. These results strongly suggest that PNb-AgNPs are capable of inducing cancer cell death and could act as a therapeutic nanoformulation for cancer.
Keywords: Anticancer activity; Apoptosis; Pinus roxburghii; Silver nanoparticles.