Anticancer Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized by the Seaweed Ulva lactuca Invitro
In this clinical study, published in the journal Open Access Scientific Reports in 2012, researchers tested silver nanoparticles against three different human cancer cell lines, i.e., laryngeal cancer cells (Hep2), breast cancer cells (MCF 7) and colon cancer cells (HT29).
The researchers found the silver nanoparticles to be effective against all three cancer cell lines in test tube studies, without causing toxicity to normal cells. The researchers concluded, “The synthesized nanoparticles were potently cytotoxic against Hep 2 cell lines and mildly cytotoxic against MCF 7 and HT 29 cell lines… Cytotoxic effect is inversely proportional to the size of the bioactive compound AgNP.” In other words, the smaller the silver nanoparticles used, the greater the anti-cancer benefit documented.
