Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Teucrium polium leaf extract and assessment of their antitumor effects against MNK45 human gastric cancer cell line

The development of simple, cost effective, biocompatible, eco-friendly and scalable techniques for synthesis of nanomaterials is one of the most important fields of research in nanoscience. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most frequently used nanomaterials in industrial and biomedical fields due to their chemical stability, good biocompatibility, anti-microbial and anticancer properties, high electrical conductivity, and great optical properties. In the present study, we developed an eco-friendly method to produce stable silver nanoparticles using the leaf extract of a medicinal plant of Teucrium polium (T. polium). The green synthesized silver nanoparticles (T. polium-AgNPs) were characterized by UV–Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) study, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The biosynthesized nanoparticles exhibited significant anticancer activity against MNK45 human gastric cancer cell line. The data obtained in the study shows the potent therapeutic value of T. polium-AgNPs and the scope for further development of anticancer drugs. [Display omitted] •Spherical silver nanoparticles were prepared in the presence of Teucrium polium as a novel anticancer agent.•T. polium extract served as both reducing and capping agent for the bio-synthesis of silver NPs.•Prepared T. polium-AgNPs exhibited significant anticancer activities against human gastric cancer cells.