Flower-shaped gold nanoparticles synthesized using Kedrostis foetidissima and their antiproliferative activity against bone cancer cell lines

Int J Ind Chem DOI 10.1007/s40090-016-0098-4 RESEARCH Flower-shaped gold nanoparticles synthesized using Kedrostis foetidissima and their antiproliferative activity against bone cancer cell lines M. Jannathul Firdhouse1 • P. Lalitha1 Received: 3 April 2015 / Accepted: 21 September 2016 Ó The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Three different methods were employed for the synthesis of biogenic gold nanoparticles using the aqueous extracts of Kedrostis foetidissima. The interaction of gold nanoparticles with the phytoconstituents was investigated by FTIR. The complete reduction of chloroaurate ions to gold nanoparticles was monitored using UV–visible spectroscopy under the different plant extract concentration and conditions. The formation of gold nanoparticles was confirmed using XRD, SEM and TEM analysis. The anisotropic and flower-shaped gold nanoparticles of size below 25 nm was confirmed by TEM analysis. Cucurbitacins, the chief constituents of K. foetidissima probably might have interacted with the chloroaurate ions, facilitating the formation of gold nanoparticles. KFL-mediated AuNPs showed 88 % cell viability against bone cancer cell lines at 200 lg/ml concentration using MTT assay. This may be due to the formation of flower-shaped nature of KFL-mediated AuNPs. The novelty of the work lies in the plantmediated synthesis of biocompatible gold nanoparticles of size less than 25 nm showing 88 % of cell viability against bone cancer cell lines. Keywords Kedrostis foetidissima  Gold nanoparticles  UV–Visible  SEM  XRD  TEM & P. Lalitha 1 Department of Chemistry, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women University, Coimbatore 641043, Tamil Nadu, India Introduction In modern science, one of the most dynamic areas of research is found to be in nanotechnology field which creates a force towards human life [1]. Nanochemistry mainly focuses on the synthesis of various metal nanoparticles like gold, silver, zinc, platinum [2–5], etc., due to its unique properties, which opens a new venue for the production of nanodevices, therapeutics, drugs, etc., in the field of nanomedicine and nanobiotechnology [6–12]. Gold nanoparticles have diverse applications in cancer treatment, electrochemical sensors, biosensors, gene and drug delivery, catalysis, etc., [13, 14]. The superior properties of the metal nanoparticles depend upon the size, shape and dispersed nature which is different from that of the bulk materials. Nanoparticles can be prepared by physical and chemical methods. Vapour deposition and exfoliation are the physical method of synthesis, whereas hazardous chemicals are used as starting materials in most of the chemical methods of synthesis. Hence, the eco-friendly synthetic procedures for nanoparticles have been adopted by researchers [15, 16]. In the biosynthetic method, plant extracts, bacteria, fungi, etc., are used as reductants for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles. The nanoparticles synthesized using plant extracts are more stable and the rate of synthesis is also rapid than the microorganisms. Plants have been exploited for the large scale synthesis of nanoparticles due to its accessibility and loaded source of secondary metabolites which serve as reducing and capping agents. Gold nanoparticles synthesized using plant extracts have received much attention due to its enhanced conductivity, ability to transfer electrons, catalytic and antimicrobial activities [17–20]. In the past few years, non-spherical gold nanoparticles such as rods, wires, cubes, nanocages, triangular prisms and 123 Int J Ind Chem other interesting structures such as hollow tubes, capsules, even branched nanocrystals have garnered significant attention in research. These unsymmetrical nanoparticles strongly differ from those of symmetric, spherical gold nanoparticles due to their unique and fine-tuned properties. Their improved mechanical, optical and electronic properties and specific surface-enhanced spectroscopies make them ultimate structures for budding applications in electronics, photonics, optical sensing and imaging, biomedical labeling and sensing, catalysis and electronic devices among others [21]. Spherical, oval and other polyhedral gold nanoparticles have been synthesized using three different plant extracts Angelica, Hypericum, and Hamamelis [22]. An excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of methanol and the reduction of oxygen was achieved by gold nanoflowers (GNFs) synthesized using N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N-2-ethanesulphonic acid (HEPES) in one-pot synthesis [23]. Exploration of the optical properties of those triangular particles has shown that the surface plasmon bands frequency is strongly sensitive to the corner sharpness. Simulations by Discrete Dipolar Approximation (DDA) approach qualitatively indicate that the electric field is mainly associated with the particle corners [24]. Osteosarcoma, the most common primary malignant bone tumour, usually arises in the metaphysis of long bones such as the distal femur, proximal tibia and proximal humerus during the second decade (60–80 years) of life. Overall, osteosarcoma has an incidence rate of 10–26 per million new cases worldwide each year [25]. Various side effects such as severe nausea, vomiting, nephrotoxicity, myelosuppression and neurotoxicity were noted after cisplatin administration, whereas gastrointestinal disturbances, acute nausea, vomiting, stomatitis, alopecia baldness, neurologic disturbances, bone marrow, aplasia, cumulative cardio toxicity and bone marrow depressant effects due to doxorubicin administration [26]. Because of these shortcomings, effective approaches with less or no side effects should be considered. Glycogenic AuNPs have been found to be active against human osteosarcoma cell line (Saos2) with an IC50 of 0.187 mM [27]. In developing countries, traditional plants have served huge source of medicine, due to their observed antibacterial and antiproliferative properties. Kedrostis foetidissima, belongs to Cucurbitaceae family and its characteristic constituents are cucurbitacins, tetracyclic triterpenoids, with varied pharmacological activities. Miro [28] and Rios et al. [29] reported the presence of cucurbitacins B, D, E and I in K. foetidissima. A significant level of cytotoxicity was also observed by K. foetidissima on both MCF-7 and YMB-1 cell lines [30]. Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using K. foetidissima [31] and its antimicrobial activities [32] are reported. The presence of metabolites like terpenoids in the above extracts as noted from phytochemical 123 colour tests, prompted us to utilize these extracts for this study. In our present study, gold nanoparticles was synthesized using the aqueous extracts of K. foetidissima by three different conditions viz. room temperature, higher temperature and sonication. The synthesized KFL-mediated AuNPs were tested for (...truncated)