Synthesis and in vitro Antineoplastic Evaluation of Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Agrimoniae herba Extract
In this clinical study, published in the International Journal of Nanomedicine in April 2014, researchers tested bare silver nanoparticles and specially prepared silver nanoparticles (i.e., silver nanoparticles conjugated with an herbal extract) against a human lung cancer cell line (A549), and found that both types of silver nanoparticles were toxic to the cancer cells.
The researchers wrote that both bare silver nanoparticles and their specially prepared silver nanoparticles, “exhibited evident cytotoxicity against A549 cells, suggesting that AgNPs, as a drug carrier, also can act as an effective anticancer agent.” The researchers stated their specially prepared silver nanoparticles, “…displayed significantly higher antiproliferative effect against a human lung carcinoma cell line (A549 cells) than the bare silver nanoparticles.” The researchers concluded, “Malignant tumors are fatal diseases that threaten human health. Therefore, tremendous efforts have been put into exploring effective therapeutic modalities for antitumor treatment…this study suggests that AH-AgNPs exhibit the potential to be a promising drug-delivery system in antitumor therapy.”
