The Anticancer Impact of Ananas Leaves Extract-synthesized Folate-linked Chitosan Coated CeO2 Nanoparticles on Human Breast Cancer Cells

Considering the stabilizing and reducing properties of the medicinal plant extracts, utilizing them as an eco-friendly bio-platform tool for producing metal oxide nanoparticles have the potential to be used in developing safe efficient anticancer compounds. In the present study, we produce the Ananas leaves extract-mediated CeO2 nanoparticles encapsulated by folate-linked chitosan polymer to evaluate their selective anticancer bioactivity on the human MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The Ananas leaves extract-synthesized folate-linked chitosan coated CeO2 nanoparticles (AFCC-NPs) were produced by applying the ion gelation method and characterized by DLS, FESEM, XRD, FTIR, and Zeta potential methods. The AFCC-NPs selective anticancer activity was studied by conducting the MTT, AO/PI staining, Flow cytometry, DAPI staining, and gene expression (P21, P53, Cas-3) analysis on human MCF-7 cancer cell line. Finally, the antioxidant property of the nanoparticles was measured by applying ABTS and DPPH assays. The 32.45-nm AFCC-NPs selectively reduced the MCF-7 cells compared with the normal HFF cell line by overexpressing P53, P21, and Cas-3 genes. The apoptotic activity of the nanoparticles was investigated by detecting the increased SubG1 phase arrested cell population. Moreover, the AO/PI and DAPI staining results approved the occurrence of apoptotic death following the increased AFCC-NPs treatment doses. Ultimately, the AFCC-NPs significantly scavenged both ABTS and DPPH radicals and exhibited notable antioxidant activity. An efficient selective anticancer delivery system has been produced applying the functionalized green-synthesized CeO2 nanoparticles, which have exhibited antioxidant activity. The produced AFCC-NPs have opened a promising way for applying as anti-breast cancer metal oxide nanoparticles. However, several cancer and normal cell lines are required to evaluate and verify the AFCC-NPs’ selective apoptotic activity.