Biochemical specification of the anticancer and antioxidant potential of green silver nanoparticles synthesized by brassica oleracea extract.

Broccoli seeds and florets are excellent sources of health-promoting phytochemicals, including phenolics and flavonoids. In the current study, aqueous and ethanolic extracts from both broccoli seeds and florets were prepared. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids (TF), and antioxidant activity of these extracts were assessed. The identification of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in the extracts was carried out using HPLC analysis. Both broccoli floret ethanolic extract (193.6 mg GAE/g extract) and broccoli seeds ethanolic extract (141.49 mg GAE/g extract) have reported the highest levels of total phenolic compounds (TPCs). The results of the DPPH test showed that the broccoli seeds had the highest radical scavenging activity (RSA) compared to the florets, in both ethanolic and aqueous extracts. Gallic acid was present in significant quantities in the aqueous extract of broccoli florets, measuring 32.34 µg/g of dry extract. In the aqueous extract of broccoli seeds, 3.4-Dihydroxybenzoic acid was found in large amounts, at 56.35 µg/g of dry extract. Additionally, syringic acid was also found in notable quantities in the broccoli seeds aqueous extract, at 26.41 µg/g of dry extract. The green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) has been gaining popularity in recent years for various applications. The current study focused on synthesizing Ag NPs using an aqueous extract from broccoli florets and seeds and evaluating their efficacy against cancer cells (A549 and HCT116). The green synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized and confirmed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-VIS absorbance, and particle size analysis. The TEM image exhibits a good distribution of spherical shape Ag-NPs without any aggregation. The particle size distribution curve of Ag-NPs prepared using broccoli floret aqueous extract (BFAE) was 63±5, and prepared by seed extract (BSAE) was 79±5 nm. The efficacy of the treatments in eliminating cancer cells (A549, and HCT116) over a 48-h varied as follows: BFAE-NPs > BSAE > BFAE > Silver-NPs > BSAE-NPs. The mRNA expression of the apoptotic gene caspase 9 was dramatically elevated, but the expression of bcl-2 was significantly downregulated in A549 and HCT-116 cells administered with Ag-NPs, BSAE-NPs, and BFAE-NPs. Therefore, nanoparticles prepared from BSAE, are crucial for formulating alternative therapy techniques for cancer.