Novel plasmon-coupled Ag/Ag2O nano-particles to downregulate β-catenin pathway in triple negative breast cancer

Abstract We prepared novel plasmon-coupled silver (Ag) and silver oxide (Ag 2 O) nanoparticles using green synthesis and a magnetic stirrer device from lemon juice. Firstly, we prepared six Ag samples from green tea and lemon juice, characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV, and HRTEM. We selected just two samples to apply to MDA-MB-231 cells. The samples entered the cell through endocytosis, showed moderate cytotoxicity and ROS levels, caused cell growth arrest at the G2M phase, exhibited higher inhibition of Cyclin D1, and induced early apoptosis. β-Catenin is an abundant protein in triple-negative breast cancer TNBC. Both samples showed inhibition of the β-catenin proteins pathway. Plasmon-coupled nanoparticles effectively inhibited β-catenin, physically capturing β-catenin and its pathway proteins, mimicking the action of a degradation protein complex due to their geometric properties. The prepared materials could be considered a promising treatment for TNBC that has not responded to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As they have low toxicity to normal cells; this paves the way for new material designs without strict size limitations.