Encapsulation of Moringa oleifera Susan Lee aqueous extract in silver chitosan metallopolymer nanocomposites for anti-cancer activity

The growing interest in plant-derived compounds and synthesis of metallopolymer nanocomposites (MPNCs) especially silver chitosan nanocomposites (AgCS-NCs) emerges as a useful platform to encapsulate and deliver plant-based anticancer drugs. This work presents the synthesis of AgCS-NCs by using Moringa oleifera aqueous leaf extract (MOAE) and the effect of concentration of MOAE on physicochemical properties of AgCS-NCs followed by its anticancer effect on MCF-7 cell line. The results of UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed successful formation of AgCS-NCs. The formation of AgCS-NCs was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The average percentage of encapsulation efficiency (% EE) was calculated to be 60 %. The hydrodynamic size of AgCS-NCs using the Dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique was found to be 308 nm with an average percentage encapsulation efficiency of 60 %. The loaded microcarriers have shown significant cell viability for normal HEK-293 and also showed robust cytotoxicity against breast cancer (MCF-7) cell line (p < 0.001). It is concluded that Ag-CS-NCs utilizing MOAE are very effective and have significant potential against cancer cells without harming normal cells.