Anti-Apoptotic Efficacies of Iron Nanoparticles Green-Formulated by Syzygium aromaticum Leaf Extract on NCI-H661 Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Line and Following the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway

The overstimulation of the mechanistic target of the rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is important for regulating cellular growth and proliferation and is frequently seen in different types of cancer. Recently, metallic nanoparticles have been used to treat many cancers. This study describes a straightforward, eco-friendly chemical investigation and a bio-inspired method for producing iron nanoparticles using leaf extract from Syzygium aromaticum. The iron nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized using advanced physicochemical techniques like energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis, and the data verified that the iron nanoparticles have a spherical morphology with an average diameter of 10 to 35 nm. The cellular and molecular elements were the main focus of the latest investigation. For 48 h, the MTT test was used to assess the cytotoxicity and antihuman lung cancer potential of the iron nanoparticle-treated cells in both HUVEC (normal) and NCI-H661 cells. When exposed to iron nanoparticles, the NCI-H661 cell line showed a dose-dependent decrease in viability, with an IC₅₀ value of 73 μg/mL. By altering the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway, iron nanoparticles control cell death and proliferation in NCI-H661 cells, according to additional research on the mTOR pathway. Iron nanoparticle-induced cell cycle and apoptosis inhibition may be mediated by the mTOR pathway. Therefore, iron nanoparticles may be useful as a natural anticancer medication to help cure lung adenocarcinoma.