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Induction of Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cells Through Extrinsic and Intrinsic Pathways by Balanites aegyptiaca Furostanol Saponins and Saponin-Coated SilverNanoparticles

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Abstract

The aim of this investigation is to examine the anticancer activities of Balanites aegyptiaca fruit extract with its biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against colon and liver cancer cells. B. aegyptiaca aqueous extract was fractionated according to polarity and by biosynthesized AgNP. The cytotoxicity of the extract, semi-purified fractions, and the AgNPs was examined on noncancerous cell lines. The safer fraction was subjected to ultra-performance liquid chromatography-MS to identify the major active constituents. The anticancer activities of the nontoxic doses of all the used treatments were tested against HepG2 and CaCo2 cells. The nontoxic dose of the B. aegyptiaca (0.63 mg/ml) extract showed high anti-proliferative activities against HepG2 and CaCo2 with a percentage of 81 and 77%, respectively. The butanol fraction was safer than the other two fractions with 46.3 and 90.35% anti-proliferative activity against Caco2 and HepG2 cells, respectively. The nontoxic dose of AgNPs (0.63 mg/ml) inhibits both HepG2 and Caco2 cells with a percentage of 84.5 and 83.4%, respectively. In addition, AgNPs regulate the expression of certain genes with folding higher than that of crude extract. Saponin-coated AgNPs showed great abilities to select the most anticancer ingredient(s) from the B. aegyptiaca extract with a more safety pattern than the polarity gradient fractionation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Institute (MAPRI), Khartoum, Sudan, for kindly providing the plant material and plant identification.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biopharmaceutical Product Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, 21934, Egypt

    Abdelrahman M. Yassin & Nehal M. El-Deeb

  2. Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11371, Egypt

    Ahmed M. Metwaly

  3. Polymeric Materials Research Department, Advanced Technology and New Materials Research Institute (ATNMRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, 21934, Egypt

    Gomaa F. El Fawal

  4. National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, Oxford, MS, 38677, USA

    Mohamed M. Radwan

  5. Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

    Mohamed M. Radwan

  6. Department of Plant Protection and Biomolecular Diagnosis, ALCRI, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, 21934, Egypt

    Elsayed E. Hafez

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  1. Abdelrahman M. Yassin
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  2. Nehal M. El-Deeb
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Correspondence to Nehal M. El-Deeb.

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Yassin, A.M., El-Deeb, N.M., Metwaly, A.M. et al. Induction of Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cells Through Extrinsic and Intrinsic Pathways by Balanites aegyptiaca Furostanol Saponins and Saponin-Coated SilverNanoparticles. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 182, 1675–1693 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-017-2426-3

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