Journal Article

Characterization and evaluation of the cytotoxic, antioxidant, and anti-human lung cancer properties of copper nanoparticles green-synthesized by fennel extract following the PI3K/AKT/Mtor signaling pathway

Huang, Tao, Ma, KaiLi, Wang, Yihua

2025

Overview

This work established the cytotoxic, antioxidant and anticancer effects of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) manufactured with fennel extract, especially on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as well. CuNPs caused cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner for two NSCLC cell lines, A549 and H1650. At 100 μg/ml, CuNPs reduced cell viability to 70% in A549 cells and 65% in H1650 cells. which showed a cytotoxic effect (p<0. 05). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was correspondingly present in a high proportion in the cells, demonstrated upon testing. Together with their cytotoxic properties, CuNPs demonstrated high antioxidative activity. When the concentration of the nano particles was high (100 μg/ml), the ratio of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was reduced as much as 50%, which in turn suggested antioxidant activity. There was plenty of evidence that CuNPs had anti-cancer potential; this has been shown by the effect of the molecules on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which was one of the pathways crucial for cancer survival. Western blot analysis and qRT-PCR results indicated a widespread degradation of the proteins in this pathway upon CuNP exposure. Interestingly, there was a declined phosphorylation up to 75% of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR at 100 μg/ml (p<0. 001). In summary, these findings illustrated the mechanisms behind the therapeutic effect of CuNPs, thus making them good targets for the NSCLC treatment. CuNPs have cytotoxic and antioxidant capacity, as well as significant alterations in lung cancers pathway, and therefore they can be considered as anti-cancer candidates.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: 1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase / A549 Cells / AKT protein / Anticancer properties / Antimitotic agents / Antineoplastic agents / Antineoplastic Agents - chemistry / Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology / Antioxidants / Antioxidants - chemistry / Antioxidants - pharmacology / Apoptosis / Biological activity / Biology and Life Sciences / Cancer / Cancer therapies / Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - drug therapy / Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - metabolism / Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - pathology / Care and treatment / Cell cycle / Cell death / Cell Line, Tumor / Cell Survival - drug effects / Cell viability / Cellular signal transduction / Chemical properties / Copper / Copper - chemistry / Copper - pharmacology / Crystal structure / Cytotoxicity / Drug delivery systems / Drug therapy / Drugs / Engineering and Technology / Ethanol / Ethics / Fennel / Foeniculum / Foeniculum - chemistry / Fourier transforms / Green Chemistry Technology / Health aspects / Humans / L-Lactate dehydrogenase / Lactate dehydrogenase / Lung cancer / Lung cancer, Non-small cell / Lung diseases / Lung Neoplasms - drug therapy / Lung Neoplasms - metabolism / Lung Neoplasms - pathology / Materia medica, Vegetable / Medicine and Health Sciences / Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry / Morphology / Nanoparticles / Non-small cell lung carcinoma / Oxidative stress / Pharmaceutical research / Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - metabolism / Phosphorylation / Physical Sciences / Plant extracts / Plant Extracts - chemistry / Plant Extracts - pharmacology / Proteins / Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism / Reactive oxygen species / Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism / Research and analysis methods / Seeds / Signal transduction / Signal Transduction - drug effects / Small cell lung carcinoma / Surface chemistry / TOR protein / TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism / Vehicles