Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Produced Sustainably Utilizing Solanum xanthocarpum Leaf Extracts and Their Anti-Neoplastic Effects on Colon Cancer Cells (HT-29)

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were synthesized in this study using Solanum xanthocarpum ( Sx ) leaf extracts via a green method. The nanomaterial, ZnO-NPs- Sx , was prepared using zinc acetate dehydrate solution followed by purification. The nanofabricate size and structural properties were investigated using UV-V Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), as well as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The anti-neoplastic properties of nanomaterial against the colon cancer cells (HT-29) were measured using MTT assay and the apoptotic biomarkers via staining techniques (i.e., acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB), 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and Propidium iodide (PI staining). The nanomaterial induced reactive oxygen species ROS and apoptosis by stimulating cell signaling biomarkers: caspase-3, -8 and -9. Staining showed proportionately higher number of dead cells with nuclear damage and chromatin condensation to confirm the nanomaterial induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells. At low concentrations, the nanomaterial did not elicit adverse cellular changes, and was less toxic towards HT-29 cells. Thus, the bio-synthesized nanofabricate, can be used ZnO-NPs- Sx in nanomedicine to improve current treatments towards cancer cells.