Selective cytotoxicity of paclitaxel bonded silver nanoparticle on different cancer cells

Paclitaxel (PTX) is one of the most effective drugs in the treatment of cancer. However, its usability is limited due to low solubility and side effects. In this study, we investigated anticancer effects of PTX bonded silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-PTX) on 4 different cancer cells, namely MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, 4T1, Saos-2, and on noncancerous HUVEC cells. The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) that we synthesized were first characterized by UV-VIS, FTIR, SEM, and DLS analysis. The size of AgNPs was measured to be around 3 nm and AgNPs-PTX around 10 nm. AgNPs-PTX were found to be 2 to 10 times more effective than PTX alone. Especially, Saos-2 cells were found to be approximately 10 times more sensitive to AgNPs-PTX than PTX alone. AgNPs-PTX did not caused toxicity on non-cancerous HUVEC cell and significantly reduced the viability of all cancer cells we tested. Our findings suggest that AgNPs-PTX may be an anticancer agent candidate that is more effective than PTX alone and specific to Saos-2 cells.

Automated summary

The study found that silver nanoparticles bonded with paclitaxel (AgNPs-PTX) are more effective in fighting cancer than PTX alone, especially showing specificity towards Saos-2 cells.