Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles by Berberis vulgaris leaf extract and their effects on cell proliferation and ODC1 gene expression in MDA-MB-231 cell line

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles is a simple and low-cost method. In addition, finding new therapeutic effects for silver nanoparticles is considered as an attractive field in cancer research. In the present study, synthesis of silver nanoparticles was performed by aqueous leaf extract of barberry. The effects of Ag nanoparticles were evaluated on cell viability and expression levels of ODC1 gene of the human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231).

The synthetic nanoparticles were analyzed by UV-vis spectrophotometry and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The cultured cancer cells were treated under different concentrations of synthesized nanoparticles.The viability of the cells was analyzed by MTT assay and relative expression of ODC1 gene by Real-Time PCR.

TEM photomicrographs showed that the spherical silver nanoparticles have been synthesized with an average size of 16 nm. The results showed cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles in a time and dose-dependent manner. The average IC50 calculated was 16.48 µg/ml.  The results also showed that silver nanoparticles decreased ODC1 gene expression levels about 4 folds at 20 µg/ml nanoparticles compared to control.

It seems that green synthesized silver nanoparticles through the gradual release of silver ions in the acidic environment of the cancer cells and production of oxygen radicals, as well as reduction of ODC1gene expression cause diminish of cancer cell viability.