ROS mediated apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human lung adenocarcinoma cell line by silver nanoparticles synthesized using Swietenia macrophylla seed extract

Cancer is considered one of the most dreaded diseases around the world. Researchers have been exploring innovative anticancer medicines to expand the number of therapy options and generate less toxic and more effective medications that can stimulate apoptosis and growth arrest in cancer cells. Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles has piqued attention due to the use of plant secondary metabolites that does not aid only in the synthesis process but provide biological properties and an eco-friendly approach. In the present study, Silver nanoparticles were synthesized from ethanol seed extract of Swietenia macrophylla and their antiproliferative mechanism against human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cell line was evaluated. Biosynthesized Silver nanoparticles from ethanol seed extract of S. macrophylla (SM-AgNPs) were confirmed by the change of color and an absorption peak of the UV–visible spectra at 453 nm. The SM-AgNPs were further characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Field emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with Energy dispersive spectroscopy, High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and zeta potential. The SM-AgNPs were further investigated against A549 cells for their anticancer activity. The findings revealed that SM-AgNPs exhibited concentration-dependent cytotoxicity with an IC50 value of 7.54 ± 0.07 μg/mL in A549 cells. The production of oxidative stress by the generation of reactive oxygen species by SM-AgNPs may cause the mitochondrial membrane to become sensitized, triggering the apoptosis pathway, damaging the DNA and changing the nuclear morphology, and also halting the cell cycle in A549 cells at the S-phase during cell cycle analyses. Overall, these findings reveal that biogenic SM-AgNPs can induce ROS-mediated apoptosis in A549 cells, possessing the anticancer effect. [Display omitted]