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Worldwide, the primary problem today is the proliferation of cancer and secondary bacterial infections caused by biofilms, as they are the principal causes of death due to the lack of effective drugs. A great deal of biological activities of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have made them a brilliant choice for the development of new drugs in recent years. The present study was conducted to evaluate the anticancer, antibacterial, anti-QS, and antibiofilm effects of AgNPs synthesized from

Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of malignancy among females as per the report of the World Health Organization. There are several established chemotherapeutic regimes for the clinical management of different solid cancers; however, the after-effects of these therapeutics serve as a significant limiting factor. The natural triterpenoid compound, gedunin is one of the principal phytoconstituent found in Azadirachta indica. In this study, we have investigated the anticancer potential of gedunin against human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. Based on computational studies, gedunin exhibited significantly higher binding affinity of −7.1 and −6.2 Kcal/mol towards Janus kinase (JAK) and STAT proteins, respectively. Further, the anticancer potential of gedunin against human breast cancer was studied using hormone-independent and -dependent MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, respectively. The results indicated that gedunin inhibited the growth and multiplication of both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. The nuclear fragmentation and ROS were qualitatively enhanced in the treated MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in comparison to untreated cells. The caspase-3 level was significantly enhanced with a concomitant decline in JAK1 and STAT3 mRNA expression. Based on these results, gedunin might be considered as a potential therapeutic lead against hormone-dependent and -independent breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. However, further detailed mechanistic studies are warranted to conclusively establish the anti-breast cancer effects.

Worldwide, the primary problem today is the proliferation of cancer and secondary bacterial infections caused by biofilms, as they are the principal causes of death due to the lack of effective drugs. A great deal of biological activities of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have made them a brilliant choice for the development of new drugs in recent years. The present study was conducted to evaluate the anticancer, antibacterial, anti-QS, and antibiofilm effects of AgNPs synthesized from Eruca sativa (E. sativa) leaf extract. The ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectra showed a peak of surface plasmon resonance at 424 nm λmax, which corresponded to AgNP formation. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) confirmed that biological moieties are involved for the development of AgNPs. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses confirmed the spherical shape and uniform size (8.11 to 15 nm) of the AgNPs. In human lung cancer cells (A549), the anticancer potential of AgNPs was examined by the MTT [3-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay, scratch assay, and invasion assay. The results indicated that AgNPs inhibit the migration of A549 cells. The synthesized AgNPs showed MIC values of 12.5 µg/mL against Chromobacterium violaceum (C. violaceum) and 25 µg/mL against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), which demonstrated their antibacterial abilities. Biological compounds that disable the QS system are being investigated as potential strategies for preventing bacterial infections. Thus, we analyzed the potential effectiveness of synthesized AgNPs in inhibiting QS-regulated virulence factors and biofilm formation in both strains of bacteria. In C. violaceum, the synthesized AgNPs significantly inhibited both violacein (85.18% at 1/2 × MIC) and acyl homoserine lactone (78.76% at 1/2 × MIC). QS inhibitory activity was also demonstrated in P. aeruginosa at a sub-MIC concentration (1/2 × MIC) by a reduction in pyocyanin activity (68.83%), total protease (68.50%), LasA activity (63.91%), and LasB activity (56.40%). Additionally, the exopolysaccharide production was significantly reduced in both C. violaceum (65.79% at 1/2 × MIC) and P. aeruginosa (57.65% at 1/2 × MIC). The formation of biofilm was also significantly inhibited at 1/2 × MIC in C. violaceum (76.49%) and in P. aeruginosa (65.31%). Moreover, a GC–MS analysis confirmed the presence of different classes of bioactive phytochemical constituents present in the leaf extract of E. sativa. On the basis of our results, we conclude that biologically synthesized AgNPs showed numerous multifunctional properties and have the potential to be used against human cancer and bacterial biofilm-related infections.