EFFECT OF CYTOTOXICITY OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED WITH THYMUS VULGARIS EXTRACT ON MOLT-4 LEUKEMIA CELL LINE

Silver nanoparticles are among the most important and widely used nanoparticles used in biological researchs. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles by green method has various advantages that make these nanoparticles useful for interdisciplinary studies. Leukemias are one of the most common malignancies among children, and various methods have been introduced to treat them. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effect of silver nanoparticles synthesized with Thymus vulgaris plant extract on Molt-4 leukemic cell line, which belongs to acute lymphoid leukemias and is used for in vitro studies.

In this study, we first synthesized silver nanoparticles with Thymus vulgaris extract using green synthesis method. Then, the nanoparticles were tested and approved by D.L.S technology. The synthesized nanoparticles along with the extract of Thymus vulgaris plant were exposed to Molt-4 cells at 48 and 72 hours. The amount of cytotoxicity was analyzed by MTT test, and the amount of necrosis and apoptosis in the cells was checked by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining method.

The obtained information indicated the successful synthesis of silver nanoparticles by the extract of Thymus vulgaris plant. The size of the synthesized nanoparticles was between 20 and 35 nanometers. The IC50 value for Molt-4 cells also decreased with increasing time. Also, Thymus vulgaris extract and nanoparticles induced primary and secondary apoptosis as well as necrosis in Molt-4 cells.

This study confirms the effect of nanoparticles and Thymus vulgaris plant on induction of cell death in the studied cells and introduces a potential factor for the treatment of these diseases.