Antibacterial and Anticancer Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized from Cynodon dactylon Leaf Extract
In this clinical study, published in the Journal of Academia and Industrial Research (JAIR) in May 2015, researchers synthesized silver nanoparticles using Cynodon dactylon leaf extract, and then tested it against the HEpG-2 line of liver cancer cells, as well as against pathogenic microbes such as against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus lutues and Salmonella typhimurium.
Not only did the silver nanoparticles kill the pathogens, but in the cancer cells study they “showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity against HEpG-2 cells.” In other words, cancer cell life decreased proportionate to the concentration of silver being applied, with 1,000 ppm silver nanoparticles reducing cell viability by an astonishing 80% whereas 15.6 ppm silver nanoparticles reduced cell viability by only 11%. The researchers concluded, “Biosynthesized silver nanoparticles showed excellent antimicrobial activity and possessed considerable cytotoxic effect against HEpG-2…further studies are needed to fully characterize the toxicity and the mechanisms involved with the antimicrobial and anticancer activity of these particles.”
