Exploration of the Anticancer Activity of Selaginella bryopteris-derived Silver Nanoparticles

AbstractOvarian cancer is characterized by chronic hormonal imbalances and associated symptoms like irregular menstruation, fertility problems and abdominal discomfort. Poly ADP-ribose polymerases (PARPs) are proteins that play a crucial role in DNA repair pathways like base excision repair (BER). PARP family proteins exhibit catalytic activities which facilitate the transport of ADP-ribose to targeted proteins. Inhibition of PARP proteins in cancer cells with BRAC1/2 gene mutations impairs the process of Single Strand Break (SSBs) repairs followed by Double Strand Breaks (DSBs), stalling replication, leading to apoptosis. PARP1 protein inhibition is an innovative therapeutic approach in cancer treatment. Commercially available drugs like Olaparib and Rucaparib are used as PARP1 inhibitors to treat ovarian cancer, however the development of effective new therapeutic drugs is urgently needed to overcome drug toxicity and resistance. In this study, we synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the leaf extract of Selaginella bryopteris demonstrating their cytotoxic nature against the ovarian cancer SKOV-3 cell line, with an IC50 value of 7.81{micro}g/ml. We also observed cell death in cancer cells with an ROS upsurge induced by S. bryopteris AgNPs. Our findings also elaborate on the role of Rhamnetin, a S. bryopteris phytochemical that exhibits active site targeting of PARP-1 residues.