What does this research mean for the field?

Doxorubicin encapsulated in silver-integrated, chitosan-coated amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles (DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS) demonstrates synergistic anticancer activity, achieving 60.18% inhibition of HepG2 cancer cells compared to 35.16% by nanoparticles alone. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to explore how silver enhances the anticancer effects of doxorubicin when encapsulated in silica nanoparticles.

February 21, 2026Open Access

Synergistic impact of silver on anticancer potential of doxorubicin-loaded chitosan-coated amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Other. Population: Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines. Intervention: Doxorubicin-loaded chitosan-coated amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles with silver integration (DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS) vs. AFS-NPs, DOX@AFS-NPs, DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag, DOX@AFS-CS, AFS-NPs-Ag-CS. Primary outcome: In vitro anticancer activity measured by percentage inhibition of HepG2 cell viability (MTT assay) (60.18% inhibition for DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS vs 35.16% for AFS-NPs at 100 μg/mL).

Key Result

DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS achieved 60.18% inhibition of HepG2 cancer cells, demonstrating synergistic anticancer activity compared to 35.16% inhibition by AFS-NPs alone at 100 μg/mL.

Key Points

The research aims to explore how silver enhances the anticancer effects of doxorubicin when encapsulated in silica nanoparticles.
Synthesized amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles using TEOS and APTES.
Incorporated silver through AgNO3 treatment in dark conditions.
Loaded doxorubicin into chitosan-coated nanoparticles.
Conducted morphological and structural analyses using SEM, XRD, FTIR, UV-Visible spectrophotometry, TGA, and DSC.
Performed release studies to assess drug release under pH variations.
Achieved 60.18% inhibition of Hep G2 cancer cell lines with the formulation.
Demonstrated 17% drug loading content and an 84% entrapment efficiency.
Released approximately 94.2% of doxorubicin in 24 hours under acidic conditions.

Structured PICO

Does DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS improve anticancer activity in Hep G2 cells compared to other nanoparticle formulations?

Population

Hep G2 and HEK-293 cancer cell lines (in vitro model)

Intervention

Doxorubicin (DOX) encapsulated in silver-integrated amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles coated with chitosan (DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS)

Comparator

AFS-NPs, DOX@AFS-NPs, DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag, unloaded AFS-Ag, and DOX@AFS-CS

Outcome

Anticancer activity (percentage of inhibition/cytotoxicity) measured by MTT assaysurrogate

The hybrid nanocarrier DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS provides pH-responsive doxorubicin release and synergistic anticancer activity with silver against Hep G2 cells in vitro.

Main Result

Effect estimate: 60.18% inhibition for DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS vs 35.16% for AFS-NPs at 100 μg/mL

Absolute Event Rate: 60.18% vs 35.16%

Limitations

Only in vitro HepG2 cell model was used without in vivo validation.
Pharmacokinetic and biodistribution profiles were not assessed.
Long-term safety and accumulation potential of silver nanoparticles were not evaluated.
Potential toxicity associated with silver nanoparticle exposure requires further investigation.

Abstract

This study investigates the synergistic effect of silver on the anticancer activity of doxorubicin (DOX) encapsulated in silver-integrated amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles (AFS-NPs) coated with chitosan (DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS). AFS-NPs were synthesized by a co-condensation approach using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) with cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) as a template, followed by silver incorporation through silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ) treatment in dark conditions. Doxorubicin was subsequently loaded and stabilized by chitosan (CS) coating. Morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed spherical, uniform nanoparticles (∼900nm), while X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV-Visible spectrophotometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) verified successful synthesis and drug encapsulation. Thermal stability enabled the physical encapsulation of DOX and conferred suitable thermal stability to the formulation for anticancer studies. The formulation showed a drug loading content (LC) of 17% and an entrapment efficiency (EE) of 84%. Release studies revealed pH-responsive release of DOX, achieving ∼94.2% in 24 h under acidic conditions. Importantly, DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS demonstrated significant anticancer activity (60.18% inhibition) against Hep G2 cancer cell lines. These results highlight the potential of this hybrid nanocarrier for effective and targeted cancer therapy.

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Cite This Study

Noha Said Bedowr (Tue,) conducted a other in Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines. Doxorubicin-loaded chitosan-coated amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles with silver integration (DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS) vs. AFS-NPs, DOX@AFS-NPs, DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag, DOX@AFS-CS, AFS-NPs-Ag-CS was evaluated on In vitro anticancer activity measured by percentage inhibition of HepG2 cell viability (MTT assay) (60.18% inhibition for DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS vs 35.16% for AFS-NPs at 100 μg/mL). DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS achieved 60.18% inhibition of HepG2 cancer cells, demonstrating synergistic anticancer activity compared to 35.16% inhibition by AFS-NPs alone at 100 μg/mL.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69994c5d873532290d020cd0 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.25259/ajc_743_2025

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