Exploring the green formulation of silver nanoparticles using Houttuynia cordata leaf extract and their potential for lung cancer treatment

In Chinese traditional medicine, Houttuynia cordata is used as an ethnomedicinal plant that has many therapeutic uses in this age-old healing method. With its antioxidant properties, this medicinal plant plays a crucial role in safeguarding body cells against various potential damages. More recently, silver nanoparticles green-mediated by ethnomedicinal plants have emerged as a promising treatment option for various ailments. We have conducted an examination of the silver nanoparticles produced through green synthesis methods following the green chemistry principles, utilizing the H. cordata leaf aqueous extract to remove the lung cancer cells. Various techniques including FE-SEM, EDX, UV–Vis, FT-IR, and TEM were employed to analyze the green-synthesized Ag NPs. Based on the results of TEM and FE-SEM, the nanoparticles’ spherical shape, size range of 10 to 40 nm and average size of 26.55 nm have been verified. Ag NPs produced biologically were evaluated against lung carcinoma (HLC-1, A549, DMS273 and PC-14) cells. The MTT assay demonstrated that the Ag NPs possess remarkable anti-lung cancer properties dose-dependently. The IC50 values for the Ag NPs on HLC-1, A549, DMS273 and PC-14 lung carcinoma cells were 83, 78, 130 and 43 µg/mL, respectively. The DPPH technique was used to evaluate Ag NPs’ antioxidant activity. Based on the IC50 value (64 µg/mL), it was observed that the nanoparticles exhibited significant antioxidant potential. Recent silver nanoparticles exhibit the anti-human lung cancer and antioxidant effects.