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.
Does DOX@AFS-NPs-Ag-CS improve anticancer activity in Hep G2 cells compared to other nanoparticle formulations?
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.
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%
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.
Noha Said Bedowr (2026) studied 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.