Marine-derived Aspergillus sp.-mediated biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles with antioxidant activity and immunomodulatory apoptosis induction in melanoma cells

In this work, we use a fungal isolate, Aspergillus sp. SO23, derived from a marine sponge collected from the coast of Hurghada, Egypt, to isolate, identify, and biosynthesis silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). Following molecular and visual identification of the fungal isolates, the 18S rRNA gene sequence showed a high degree of similarity (more than 99%) to Aspergillus sp. Using the fungal culture supernatant, Ag NPs were biosynthesized, giving rise to the distinctive brown coloration that is indicative of Ag NP generation. When the synthesized Ag NPs were examined with a UV-Vis. spectrophotometer, HRTEM, SEM, DLS, and XRD, they were found to have polydisperse particles with a crystalline structure and an average size of 45.16 ± 2.1 nm. DPPH and ABTS assays were used to assess the antioxidant activity of the biosynthesized Ag NPs, which showed notable free radical scavenging. Furthermore, Ag NPs showed a moderate chelating efficacy in comparison to ascorbic acid in the chelation of ferrous ions. Additionally, the immunomodulatory potential of the biosynthesized Ag NPs in cancer therapy was investigated, and it was discovered that Ag NPs stimulated the production of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-1 in Sk-Mel-28 cells. Cell growth was suppressed, and the M30 epitope, a sign of apoptosis induction, was present in conjunction with this stimulation. All things considered, our results demonstrate the potential uses of biogenic Ag NPs in several domains, such as cancer treatment and nanomedicine.