Evaluation of the Cytotoxic Activity of Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles Using Berberis vulgaris Leaf Extract

Background: Recently, due to the numerous applications of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in industry, various routes to synthesize them have been developed. Objectives: The current study was aimed at synthesizing silver nanoparticles by the leaf extract of Berberis vulgaris and evaluating the cytotoxic effects on human breast cancer MCF-7 cell line. Methods: The leaf extract of Berberis vulgaris and silver nitrate solution were used to synthesize silver nanoparticles. Ultraviolet (UV)-visible, Fourier-transform infrared, and X-ray diffraction analysis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy methods were used to characterize and confirm the nanoparticles’ synthesis. The cytotoxic activity of synthesized nanoparticles (0, 5,10, 20, 40 g/mL) was also studied by MTT assay. Results: The results showed that Ag nanoparticles were polydisperse and spherical in shape and had a size of about 19.9 nm. Silver nanoparticles reduced the growth of cancerous cells based on time and concentration. The IC50 for MCF-7 cells at 48 hours was 20.27 g/mL. Conclusions: The findings showed that synthesized nanoparticles have an appropriate cytotoxic effect on cancer cells. This impact may be due to the production of free radicals through the release of Ag ions.