Syzygium cumini (L.) Extract-Derived Green Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Induce Caspase-Dependent Apoptosis in Hepatic Cancer Cells.

An aqueous extract of Syzygium cumini seeds was utilized to green synthesize titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs). UV-Visible, DLS, FTIR, XRD, FESEM, TEM, SAED, EDAX, and photoluminescence spectroscopy techniques were employed to characterize the prepared TiO 2 nanoparticles. The rutile crystal structure of TiO 2 NPs was revealed by XRD study. The TEM and FESEM images of the TiO 2 NPs revealed an average particle size of 50-100 nm. We employed EDAX to investigate the elemental compositions of TiO 2 NPs. The O-Ti-O stretching bands appeared in the FTIR spectrum of TiO 2 NPs at wavenumbers of 495 cm -1 . The absorption edge peaks of TiO 2 NPs were found in the UV-vis spectra at 397 nm. The MTT study revealed that TiO 2 NPs effectively inhibited the growth of liver cancer Hep3 and Hep-G2 cells. The results of the corresponding fluorescent staining assays showed that TiO 2 NPs significantly increased ROS generation, decreased MMP, and induced apoptosis in both liver cancer Hep3 and Hep-G2 cells. TiO 2 nanoparticles lessened SOD, CAT, and GSH levels while augmenting MDA contents in Hep3 and Hep-G2 cells. In both Hep3 and Hep-G2 cells treated with TiO 2 NPs, the Bax, CytC, p53, caspase-3, -8, and -9 expressions were remarkably augmented, while Bcl-2 expression was reduced. Overall, these findings revealed that formulated TiO 2 NPs treatment considerably inhibited growth and triggered apoptosis in Hep3 and HepG2 cells.