Saponin-mediated and microwave-assisted biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles: preparations and anticancer assessment

Abstract Silver nanoparticles have been extensively studied and used for biological and biomedical applications due to its antimicrobial properties. In this study, we have developed silver nanoparticles with saponin (S-AgNPs) using microwave-mediated methodology and physiochemically characterised and evaluated its anticancer potential. According to UV–visible spectroscopy, S-AgNPs exhibited a maximum absorption peak at a wavelength of 420 nm. DLS analysis revealed that S-AgNPs have an average diameter of around 133.8 ± 10 nm. HR-TEM analysis confirms the spherical morphology of S-AgNPs. Further, the anticancer effect of S-AgNPs was validated using A459 lung cancer cells by in vitro cell interaction tests such as the MTT assay, staining assay, and flow cytometry assay. The IC 50 value of S-AgNPs against A549 cells was 30 μg ml −1 , and Calcein-EtBr and Annexin V/PI staining results confirm the presence of apoptotic cells after treatment S-AgNPs. Hence, biosynthesized S-AgNPs can play a vital role in developing anticancer drugs for cancer treatment.