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Facile reduction and stabilization of ginsenoside-functionalized gold nanoparticles: optimization, characterization, and in vitro cytotoxicity studies

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Abstract

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are forecasted to provide an attractive platform in biomedicine and catalysis with their potentials of combining a variety of biophysicochemical properties into an integrated nanodevice with great therapeutic and optical functions. There are several reports of crude plant extracts mediating the conversion of metal ions into nanoparticles. However, we aimed to investigate the capability of single bioactive compounds, namely ginsenosides compound K (C-K) and Rh2, to accommodate a synergistic chemical reduction of gold salts by one-pot green chemistry. Ginsenosides C-K and Rh2 are unique triterpenoid saponins present in Panax ginseng Meyer, a perennial plant traditionally used as an oriental medicinal herbal with long history. C-K and Rh2 have demonstrated diverse pharmacological properties such as anticancer, anti-inflammation, anti-aging, and neuroprotective properties. The reduction of gold ions by these ginsenosides led to the production of nontoxic GNPs as tested in mouse macrophage (J774A.1) and human kidney epithelial (HEK-293) in vitro. The kinetics of the bioreduction and the influence of pH were examined by an ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer. GNPs were characterized by field emission transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Ginsenoside loading efficiency of C-K-GNPs and Rh2-GNPs was determined to be approximately 62.83% and 54.91%, respectively, by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). These results suggest that one-pot synthesis by ginsenosides C-K and Rh2 may be useful for producing ginsenoside-loaded gold nanocarriers.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Program (SSAC, grant No. PJ0120342017), Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Biotechnology and Ginseng Bank, College of Life Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

    Joon Hurh, Josua Markus, Ramya Mathiyalagan & Deok Chun Yang

  2. Department of Oriental Medicinal Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

    Yeon-Ju Kim, Sungeun Ahn, Veronica Castro-Aceituno, Yu Jin Kim & Deok Chun Yang

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  1. Joon Hurh
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  2. Josua Markus
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  3. Yeon-Ju Kim
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  4. Sungeun Ahn
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  5. Veronica Castro-Aceituno
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  6. Ramya Mathiyalagan
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  7. Yu Jin Kim
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  8. Deok Chun Yang
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Correspondence to Yeon-Ju Kim or Deok Chun Yang.

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Supplementary Figure 1

TLC analysis of ginsenosides C-K (a) and Rh2 (b) at different pH conditions after heat-treated. (GIF 284 kb)

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Hurh, J., Markus, J., Kim, YJ. et al. Facile reduction and stabilization of ginsenoside-functionalized gold nanoparticles: optimization, characterization, and in vitro cytotoxicity studies. J Nanopart Res 19, 313 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-017-3980-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-017-3980-x

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