Antibacterial and anticancer activities of silver nanoparticles fabricated by the Artemisia scoparia extract against lung cancer cell line (A549)

Background: In recent years, due to an increase in prevalence of cancer, there is a need to find new ways to control this disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate antibacterial and anti-cancer activities of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) fabricated by Artemisia scoparia extract gainst lung cancer cell line (A549). Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, AgNPs was synthesized and ccharacterization of fabricated AgNPs was performed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) methods. Subsequently, antibacterial activity of synthesized AgNPs was determined using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Moreover, cell toxicity of AgNPs against A549 cell line in 3.125-100 µg/mL concentrations was performed using the MTT method. The gene expression of Bax and Bcl2 was measured using the real-time PCR. Results: The results of SEM and TEM showed that the synthesized AgNPs had 33.40 nm average size. The MIC results demonstrated that the AgNPs had a significant antibacterial activity. In addition, the MTT results showed that AgNPs had dose-dependent cell toxicity. The real-time PCR results revealed that the Bax and Bcl2 gene expression were up-regulated (2.34±0.34) and down-regulated (0.43±0.61), respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the AgNPs had antibacterial and anticancer activities and it can be used as a drug candidate