Effect of Biosynthesized and commercial selenium nanoparticles on A 498 and CaCo-2 cancer cell lines

Abstract

Introduction. Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide, and there is a need for new treatment approaches. Nanoparticles have been proposed as a potential therapy for cancer due to their unique properties.

Aim. We conduct our study to assess the effect of selenium nanoparticles biosynthesized by Serratia marcescens and commercial selenium nanoparticles on the kidney cancer line (A-498) and the colon cancer line (CaCo-2) in comparison with the HdFn normal cell line.

Material and Methods. This study utilized two types of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) — one synthesized by the bacterium Serratia marcescens and the other commercially sourced from Nanoshel, USA — to assess the toxic effects on cancer cell lines. The kidney cancer (A-49.8) and colon cancer (CaCO-2) cell lines were cultured alongside a normal fibroblast control (Hdfn) using RPMI-1640 medium enriched with serum and antibiotics. The cytotoxicity of both types of SeNPs was evaluated using the MTT assay. After incubation, cell viability was measured by assessing absorbance at 570 nm, and the IC50 values were calculated to determine the concentration required for 50 % inhibition of cell growth.

Results. The results showed that the biosynthesized Selenium nanoparticles had a higher effect on the A-498 cancer line than on the normal line Hdfn. The highest lethal percentage of cancer cells for biosynthesized nanoparticles was 60.1 %, at a concentration of 400 μg/ml, while the lethal percentage for normal cells was 28.6 %. Commercial selenium nanoparticles showed a higher lethal percentage of 33.3 % for cancer cells and 28.1 % for normal cells at the same concentration. The results on colon CaCo-2 cancer cell line showed that commercial Selenium nanoparticles had a higher effect than biosynthesized ones: the lethal percentage of cancer cells with the concentration 400 μg/ml was 47.1 % vs 38.1 % respectively. Meanwhile, the lethal percentage at Hdfn was 28.1 % and 28.6 % with the same concentration, respectively. The IC50 at A-498 for biosynthesized and commercial SeNPs were 113.3 and 157.5 µg/ml respectively. The IC50 at CaCO2 for biosynthesized and commercial SeNPs were 121.6 and 102.8 µg/ml respectively. ID50 at Hdfn is 213.7 and 164.2 µg/ml respectively.