Green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles using Cordia myxa extract and assessment of their cytotoxic and antioxidant properties

Objective: This research aimed to explore the cytotoxic, apoptotic, and antioxidant effects of selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) produced by Cordia myxa (C. myxa) aqueous extract via a green reduction method.Materials and Methods: To synthesize Se-NPs, Na۲SeO۳ and C. myxa plant extract were used and their anticancer and antioxidant effects were investigated. After the synthesis of Se-NPs, their physicochemical properties were investigated by various techniques such as UV-Vis, XRD, TEM, FESEM/PSA, EDX, FT-IR, and DLS/Zeta. Next, the lethality of Se-NPs on cancerous Huh-۷ and normal L۹۲۹ cells was investigated. Then, using Annexin V/PI and DAPI kits, the number of apoptotic cells in terms of the obtained percentage and the amount of ROS production was determined by flow cytometry. The influence of Se-NPs on the expression of genes associated with apoptosis has been examined.Results: The XRD pattern and FESEM/TEM images confirmed the successful production of Se-NPs with an amorphous nature and size average of ۱۱.۹ nm. Flow cytometry analyses revealed a significant increase in ROS levels after ۲۴ h of treatment with Se-NPs, demonstrating a concentration-dependent effect. Conclusion: The findings indicate that Se-NPs exhibit anticancer activity against Huh-۷ cells, as evidenced by the upregulation of Bax, p۵۳, and Caspase۳ gene expression. Therefore, it can be asserted that Se-NPs have the potential to eliminate cancer cells, while simultaneously providing a protective effect on normal cells.

کلیدواژه ها:

Nanoparticle ، Cancer ، Apoptosis ، Biosynthesis ، C. myxa plant