Synergistic anticancer properties of hydro-alcoholic extract of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) and graphene nanoparticle on HeLa cell line

Cancer is one of the important problems affecting public health worldwide. The use of medicinal plants and their effective compounds is an alternative solution to prevent and treat cancer. In the present research, the synergistic effects of lemon balm hydro-alcoholic extract and graphene nanoparticles on cervical cancer cells were investigated. Dilutions of 100 and 200 ug/ml total phenolic compounds equivalent to gallic acid were prepared and the effect of these extract concentrations in combination with graphene nanoparticles (0, 50, 100 and 200 μg/ml) on the survival of Hela cancer cells was evaluated using the MTT assay. Based on the results, the treatment with lemon balm extract had a significant effect on reducing the cell survival (p≤0.05). Addition of graphene nanoparticles to the plant extract only at a concentration of 200 μg/ml caused a significant reduction of cells in both concentrations of the extract compared to the treatment without graphene nanoparticles. In general, the hydro-alcoholic extract of lemon balm is able to prevent the growth of HeLa cells. On the other hand, synergistic anticancer effects were observed in the combination of plant extract and graphene nanoparticles, which can be a solution to increase the efficiency of medicinal plants to fight cancer cells.