Green synthesis of Artemisia argyi-mediated CuFe2O4 nanoparticles: Experimental and theoretical insights into anticancer activity.

Abstract

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death worldwide, and two inherent challenges in conventional therapies, indiscriminate toxicity and development of drug resistance by cancer cells, have increased the demand for novel therapeutic means. In this study, copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) nanoparticles were synthesized using an aqueous leaf extract of Artemisia argyi through a green, eco-friendly route. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, SEM-EDX, and FTIR to reveal their crystalline spinel structure, spherical morphology, and functional group composition. The average crystallite size was 15.25 ± 6.48 nm. Cytotoxic potential of the particles was assessed using three different cell lines, MCF-7 (breast), A549 (lung), and L929, (normal fibroblast). MTT assays revealed a dose- and time-dependent reduction in cancer cell viability. Highest sensitivity was demonstrated by MCF-7 cells. Exposure to the particles also appeared to have caused changes in the expression levels of some of the key genes involved in cell survival: Caspase-3 and BAX, for which a meaningful increase was observed, while the amount of BCL-2 decreased. Such an activity pattern suggested apoptosis as the primary pathway in cell death. Flow cytometry results further unraveled the role of late apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Importantly, the nanoparticles showed lower cytotoxicity toward L929 cells, indicating a degree of selectivity for cancer cells. These findings demonstrate promising in vitro anticancer activity of CuFe2O4 nanoparticles. Gibbs free energy changes of the complexes formed by some of the Artemisia argyi molecules and copper ferrite nanoparticles were investigated using the Gaussian software package in B3LYP, HF, and M06-2x method at 6-31 + + g(d,p) basis set. The activities of four of the molecules, having very high negative Gibbs free energies, against breast and lung cancer proteins were compared.