Synthesis of Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles using Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) root extract for chemo-photothermal anticancer therapy

Arch Pharm Res. 2023 Aug 17. doi: 10.1007/s12272-023-01457-y. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTGreen synthesis strategies have been widely applied for the preparation of versatile nanomaterials. Gold nanospheres with an average size of 6.95 ± 2.25 nm were green synthesized by using a 70% ethanol extract of Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) root as a reducing agent. A seed-mediated synthesis was conducted to prepare Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles using gold nanospheres as seeds. Remarkably, Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles with an average size of 80.4 ± 11.9 nm were synthesized. Scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and elemental mappings revealed bimetallic nanoparticles with Au-Ag alloy core and Au-rich shells. A face-centered cubic structure of Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. For Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles, the ratio of Ag/Au was 0.20 which was detected and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Gold nanospheres and Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles were functionalized by PEGylation, folic acid conjugation and grafting onto graphene oxide. Finally, docetaxel was loaded for evaluating the in vitro cell viability on cancer cells. Successful functionalization was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectra. The anticancer activity of the docetaxel-loaded nanoparticles was higher than that of their non-docetaxel-loaded counterparts. The highest anticancer activity o...
Source: Archives of Pharmacal Research - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Source Type: research