Determination of Antioxidant, Cytotoxicity, and Anti-human Lung Cancer Properties of Silver Nanoparticles Green-Formulated by Foeniculum vulgare Extract Combined with Radiotherapy

The current investigation involved the silver nanoparticles green synthesis utilizing the aqueous extract derived from the Foeniculum vulgare leaves (AgNPs@FV). The effectiveness of these newly developed nanoparticles in conjunction with radiotherapy was evaluated on lung cancer cells. The synthesized AgNPs@FV underwent characterization through various analytical techniques such as energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry. The efficacy of AgNPs@FV in conjunction with radiotherapy against human lung cancer was assessed through the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The AgNPs@FV exhibited a spherical morphology ranging in size from 10.16 to 42.74 nm. The EDX diagram of nanoparticles shows energy signals at 3.02 and 2.64 keV, which are attributed to Ag L beta and Ag L alpha, respectively. During the antioxidant evaluation, AgNPs@FV and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) displayed IC50 values of 166 and 59 mu g/mL, respectively. The cells treated with AgNPs@FV in conjunction with radiotherapy were evaluated using the MTT assay over 48 h to determine cytotoxicity and anti-human lung cancer characteristics on normal (human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC)) and lung cancer cells and exhibited IC50 values of 211, 166, and 296 mu g/mL against NCI-H2126, NCI-H1299, and NCI-H1437, respectively. Furthermore, the malignant lung cell viability decreased when treated with a combination of AgNPs@FV and radiotherapy. Based on the aforementioned findings, it is possible that the newly developed AgNPs@FV could serve as a novel chemotherapeutic medication or adjunct for addressing lung cancer following the completion of clinical trials involving human subjects.