Crystalline Gold nanoparticles adjusted by carboxymethyl cellulose and citrate salt: Fabrication, characterization, and in vitro anticancer activity

A simple route was introduced for the preparation of crystalline Gold Nanoparticles (Au NPs) in the size range of 4 to 22 nm, using sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and citrate salt. These stabilizers act as reducing factors and size-adjuster to dominate nanogold particle assemblage. The fabricated Au NPs were entirely described applying diverse instrumental methods such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible spectroscopy, and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), in addition to the particle size distribution analysis. The anti-proliferative activity of the nanogold Au/CMC was evaluated against ovarian cancer (SKOV-3) and triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cell lines using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and cisplatin as standard drug. Interestingly, Au/CMC stabilized by citrate ions exhibited a superior anticancer activity than cisplatin and induced several morphological changes to the SKOV-3 and MDA-MB-231. Collectively, these results point to a promising anticancer activity of Au/CMC which in turn needs further investigation using a wider arsenal of cancer cell lines and animal models. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A simple route was introduced for the preparation of crystalline gold nanoparticles in the size range of 4 to 22 nm using carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt and citrate salt as stabilizers. The Au/CMC nanoparticles showed promising anti-proliferative activity against ovarian cancer and triple-negative breast cancer cell lines. The nanoparticles stabilized by citrate ions exhibited superior anticancer activity compared to standard drug cisplatin and induced morphological changes in the cancer cell lines. Further investigation using a wider range of cancer cell lines and animal models is needed to explore the potential anticancer activity of Au/CMC.