Natural and Green Protocol for Synthesizing Novel Ag@CQDs Nanoparticles, Their Characteristics, and Anticancer Activity againstOral Cancer Cell Lines
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23918/eajse.v11i3p16Keywords:
Ag-CQDs, Clove, Cytotoxicity, HRTEM, Hydrothermal, Oral Cancer, Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, X-Ray DiffractionAbstract
Oral cancer remains a major global health burden influenced by genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Although conventional chemotherapies are available, their toxicity and limited selectivity have driven an increase in the use of nanomaterials and natural-mediated alternatives. In this study, clove, a well-known traditional medicinal plant, was utilized as a green precursor for the synthesis of silver-doped carbon quantum dots. An aqueous extract is prepared from the plant, followed by mixing with a silver salt to afford the targeted products through the hydrothermal protocol. The products were fully characterized, and their production is confirmed via physicochemical techniques. The results showed that the synthesized silver-doped carbon dot nanoparticles are spherical in shape, having a size of 63.25 nm with an amorphous carbon structure, demonstrating a broader peak centered at 2θ = 27°. Additionally, their chemical constituents were analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. The cytotoxic activity of the three samples (clove extract, carbon dots, and silver-doped carbon dots) was assessed against oral squamous cancer cells (OSCC) and oral squamous normal cells (OSNC). The results showed effective dose-dependent cytotoxic potency for all the products; their IC50 is recorded as 346.8, 353.4, and 286.7 µg/mL for clove extract, carbon dots, and silver-doped carbon dots, respectively. In contrast, their activity for normal cells was observed as IC50= 705.4, 1292, and 939.3 µg/mL for clove extract, carbon dots, and silver-doped carbon dots, respectively. These findings revealed that the synthesized silver-doped carbon dots are efficient compounds as anticancer agents against OSCC with comparable low toxicity.
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