Rapid Biological Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Plant Seed Extracts and Their Cytotoxicity on Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines

In this research we focused on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Pimpinella anisum seed extract. Furthermore, we evaluated their cytotoxicity on colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. Our results revealed the anti-cancerous cytotoxic potential of green synthesized AgNPs. Green synthesized AgNPs exhibited high cytotoxicity on colorectal adenocarcinoma CRC cells. They selectively killed cancer cells through suppression of proliferation, cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, and induction of apoptosis. Interestingly, between the two different clones, SW620 cells were more sensitive than HCT8 cells. Overall, our findings suggest that AgNPs could be effective cancer chemotherapeutic agents or a combination nano-drug in future anti-cancer therapy.