ABSTRACT
Background
There is potential for nanotechnology to address the drawbacks associated with conventional cancer therapies. The current study was undertaken to formulate amygdalin-functionalized Albumin-Glutaraldehyde Nanoparticles (AAG-NPs) and evaluate their antimicrobial and anticancer properties against oral cancer KB cells.
Materials and Methods
The AAG-NPs were synthesized and characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, TEM, DLS, FT-IR and PL analyses. The well diffusion technique was used to examine the antimicrobial potentials of the AAG-NPs against various pathogens like S. pneumoniae, B. megaterium, B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa, P. vulgaris, V. cholerae, and C. albicans. The cytotoxicity of AAG-NPs was assessed by MTT assay at various concentrations. Fluorescent staining tests were performed on KB cells treated with AAG-NPs to assess apoptosis. The levels of pro- and anti-apoptotic protein expressions were analyzed using assay kits.
Results
The various characterization analyses demonstrated the presence of spherical-shaped AAG-NPs with an average particle size of 148.30 nm. The occurrence of various elements and functional groups in AAG-NPs was also observed. The synthesized AAG-NPs showed excellent antimicrobial activities by effectively inhibiting the growth of various pathogens. The treatment of AAG-NPs significantly inhibited the growth of KB cells. As a result of fluorescent staining assays, NP-treated KB cells showed evidence of apoptosis. The AAG-NPs treatment increased apoptotic protein expression in KB cells.
Conclusion
The current results demonstrate that AAG-NPs inhibit cellular proliferation and induce apoptosis in KB cells. Nevertheless, further study is necessary to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying AAG-NPs-induced apoptosis in KB cells.