Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Biology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2
Department of Biology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.Department of Biology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Liver cancer treatment faces significant obstacles such as resistance, recurrence, metastasis, and
toxicity to healthy cells. Biometallic nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a promising approach
to address these challenges. In this study, copper oxide-silver (Ag-doped CuO) NPs were
prepared using a reduction method with Ephedra intermedia extract. The physicochemical
properties of the NPs were evaluated using various techniques such as Field emission scanning
electron microscopy (FESEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction
(XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Additionally, this study has
evaluated nitric oxide levels (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, Bax, Bcl2, P53,
and Caspase3 genes expression, as well as cell viability within 24 hours in liver cancer cell line
HepG2. FESEM and TEM imaging confirmed the nanostructural nature of the synthesized
particles with sizes ranging from 31.27 to 88.98 nanometers. XRD analysis confirmed the crystal
structure of the NPs. Comparative analysis showed that the IC50 values of the Ag-doped CuO
NPs were significantly lower than that of the plant extracts. Molecular studies showed
significantly increased expression of Bax, Caspase3, and P53 genes, inducing apoptosis in
cancer cells, and downregulation of Bcl2 as a pro-metastasis gene. Additionally, the presence of
Ag-doped CuO NPs significantly increased NO activity enzyme and ROS generation compared
to the plant extract. The biosynthesized Ag-doped CuO NPs demonstrated the ability to induce
apoptosis, increase ROS production, and enhance NO enzyme activity in HepG2 cancer cells,
suggesting their potential as a therapeutic agent for liver cancer.
Keywords