1.Cellular Uptake of Catharanthus roseus-Silver Nanoparticles in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells
Nur Asna Azhar ; Siti Aishah Abu Bakar ; Siti Hawa Ngalim ; Nor Hazwani Ahmad
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2023;19(No.4):171-177
Introduction: Nanoparticles exhibit unique features and currently at the forefront of cutting-edge research. Silver
nanoparticles (AgNPs) are among the most promising and widely commercialised nanoproducts in various fields.
The interaction of these AgNPs with cells remain unclear to connect with its toxicological endpoints. The aim of this
study was to investigate the cellular uptake of C. roseus-AgNPs in hepatocellular carcinoma cells HepG2. Methods:
The HepG2 cells were treated with the mean IC50 value of C. roseus-AgNPs which was 4.95±0.26 µg/mL for 24, 48
and 72 hours. The effects were compared with the untreated cells and other treatments which include camptothecin,
C. roseus-aqueous extract, and AgNO3
. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was
used to quantify the intracellular Ag+ and Ca2+, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging was used to
visualise the nanoparticle distribution. Results: The HepG2 cells have significantly taken up Ag+ from C. roseus-AgNPs with at least six times higher compared to Ag+ from AgNO3
. The intracellular Ca2+ detected in HepG2 cells for all
treatments were significantly higher than the untreated cells, in time-dependent manner. TEM images indicated the
endocytosis of C. roseus-AgNPs with the presence of endosomes and exocytic vesicles. Conclusion: The significant
accumulation of intracellular Ag+ demonstrated the efficiency of the C. roseus-AgNPs uptake while the increased
Ca2+ indicated the early sign of cell injury. The cellular uptake was mainly through endocytosis. These findings are
crucial to correlate the physicochemical properties of C. roseus-AgNPs with the anticancer mechanisms towards the
development of liver cancer therapy.