SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERISATION, AND INVESTIGATION OF THE ANTICANCER POTENTIAL OF CARMOFUR-LOADED SILVER NANOPARTICLES

Abstract

Objective: The term "triple-negative breast cancer" (TNBC) is used to describe tumours that do not express oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). TNBC tends to be more aggressive than other types of breast cancer. Current antineoplastic drugs have limited treatment options for malignant breast cancer owing to their narrow therapeutic index, toxicity, resistance, and nonselectivity. Therefore, there is a need for the prompt development of new medicinal drugs for TNBC. Here, we investigated the growth inhibition potential of carmofur-bonded silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-Car) on two TNBC cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and 4T1, and compared the effects with non-cancerous Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Material and Methods: AgNPs-Car were synthesised and characterised by FTIR, DLS, SEM, and EDX. The anticancer effect was evaluated using a 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay. Results: AgNPs-Car was determined to be predominantly more effective than Car alone. Mainly, 4T1 cells were 5.7-fold more sensitive to AgNPs-Car than Car alone. While AgNPs showed no considerable toxicity on HUVECs, they significantly induced the cytotoxicity of MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells. Conclusion: Our results showed that AgNPs-Car is a promising anticancer agent due to its highly potent and selective growth inhibitory effect on TNBC cells.