ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Anticancer potential of nano-engineered silver nanoparticle from Acacia arabica aqueous seed extract against a prostate PC-3 cancer cell line

P. M. Bhagya, T. Shobha Rani, and T. P. Adarsh Krishna

Department of Chemistry, Dravidian University, Chittoor (DT), Kuppam, India

E-mail: sobha.kaushu@gmail.com

Received: 24 June 2024  Accepted: 29 October 2025

Abstract:

In this work, we used the human prostate cancer cell line PC-3 to test how well silver nanoparticles made from Acacia arabica seed extract (Aa-AgNPs) could fight cancer. The synthesized Aa-AgNPs was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV spectrophotometry. The SPR absorption band was observed at 422 nm. The average particle size of Aa-AgNPs was found to be 121.7 nm and the polydispersity index (PI) value was 0.214. XRD spectrum showed that Aa-AgNPs were crystalline in nature and in nanocrystalline form. FTIR profiling indicated the presence of different phyto-constituents in Aa-AgNPs, which are responsible for the reduction of Ag⁺ into Ag⁰ ions. The MTT assay showed that Aa-AgNPs inhibit PC-3 cell viability in a dose-depended manner. 17.32 µg/ml was determined to be the IC₅₀ value of Aa-AgNPs. The antioxidant capacity of Aa-AgNPs was evaluated via ABTS radical scavenging method. The apoptosis in PC-3 cells caused by Aa-AgNPs was observed through fluorescence microscope by labeling them with the fluorogenic compound DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole). The treated cells’ nuclei had a lot of chromatin condensation, blebbing, nuclear disintegration, and the formation of apoptotic bodies. The nuclei of the untreated cells remained normal and undamaged, exhibiting only a weak and evenly distributed blue staining. The results indicate that Aa-AgNPs prepared from A. arabica seeds are good anticancer agents, and this study also opens a window for researchers to develop alternative anti-cancer drugs.

Graphical abstract

Keywords: Acacia arabica; Seed extract; Aa-AgNPs; Anticancer and antioxidant activity

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04484-9

Chemical Papers 80 (2) 1721–1732 (2026)