Shining Hope for Future Applications in Oncology: BSA-coated Silver Nanoparticles Targeting Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

1. Introduction

Nanoparticles have gained significant attention in various scientific domains, especially medicine. Their applications span a wide range of fields including diagnostics, drug delivery antimicrobials, and cancer therapy [1]. The green synthesis of nanoparticles is favored over traditional physical and chemical methods as it is cost-effective, simple, and eco-friendly [2]. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been safely utilized in medicine. Previous studies have shown that bovine serum albumin (BSA) can be used as a capping agent for AgNPs for optimum drug delivery. Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive breast cancer subtype associated with poor prognosis due to a lack of targeted therapy. In this study, BSA-coated AgNPs were synthesized to examine their anti-cancer effects on triple-negative breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231).

2. Methods

Using the green approach, BSA solution was added to silver salts to produce the BSA-coated silver nanoparticles with different concentrations. The presence of silver nanoparticles was examined using UV-Vis absorption spectra and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Triple-negative breast cancer cells were treated with BSA-AgNPs. Untreated MDA-MB-23 cells were used as controls. Cell proliferation and morphology were assessed using light microscopy.

3. Preliminary Results

UV-Vis absorption spectra and TEM confirm the presence of AgNP nanoparticles in the size range of 15-16.50 nm. Through assessing the effect on breast cancer cells, silver nanoparticles exhibit dose-dependent toxicity against the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, which was evidenced by the typical signs of apoptosis including cell shrinkage and membrane blebbing 24 hours post-treatment

4. Conclusions and Future perspective

BSA-coated silver nanoparticles were successfully synthesized. The early findings indicate that the efficacy of protein-decorated silver nanoparticles against breast cancer cells is directly proportional to the dosage, primarily through the induction of apoptosis. BSA-coated silver nanoparticles have great potential in future cancer therapies. Nevertheless, future studies need to be conducted to examine their drug selectivity and in vivo effects.