Nanoparticles Using Lavender and Rosemary Extracts as Reducing Agent: Physicochemical Characterization and Antiproliferative Activity Against Human Cancer Cells
9 affiliations
- 1Department of Biomedical Engineering and Measurement, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
- 2Department of Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 041 90 Košice, Slovakia
- 3Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Trieda SNP 1, 040 11 Košice, Slovakia
- 4Division of Ceramic and Non-Metallic Systems, Institute of Materials Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
- 5Institute of Physics, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Park Angelinum 9, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
- 6Institute of Materials Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
- 7Department of Biology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia
- 8Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, 041 54 Košice, Slovakia
- 9Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia
Abstract
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized using plant extracts represent a promising approach combining environmentally friendly nanoparticle synthesis with potential biomedical applications. In this study, AgNPs were synthesized using aqueous extracts of dried Lavandula angustifolia (LEx) and Salvia rosmarinus (REx) leaves, physicochemically characterized, and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against six human cancer cell lines and one non-tumorigenic human cell line. HPLC analysis revealed distinct phytochemical profiles of the two extracts, while UV–Vis, FTIR, TEM, SAED, and SEM–EDX analyses were used to characterize the resulting lavender-mediated (LAg) and rosemary-mediated (RAg) AgNPs. TEM analysis showed a greater proportion of smaller nanoparticles in RAg than in LAg. Antiproliferative activity was evaluated using the MTT assay after 48 h of exposure, with LEx, REx, and AgNO3 included as controls. Both AgNP formulations exhibited cell-line-dependent activity. LAg reached IC50 values of 19.4–20.8 µmol Ag/L in five cancer cell lines, whereas RAg reached IC50 values of 14.4–25.2 µmol Ag/L. The lowest IC50 was observed for RAg in PaTu 8902 pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells (14.4 ± 0.6 µmol Ag/L). In contrast, the IC50 was not reached in A549 or non-tumorigenic CCD-18Co cells at concentrations up to 50 µmol Ag/L (IC50 > 50 µmol Ag/L). Neither LEx nor REx produced 50% inhibition of cell viability at concentrations up to 1.7% (v/v). Similarly, AgNO3 did not achieve 50% inhibition at concentrations up to 50 µmol/L in any of the cell lines tested. These findings demonstrate formulation- and cell-line-dependent antiproliferative activity of green-synthesized AgNPs and support further investigation of their biological effects and underlying mechanisms.
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BibTeX
@article{macak2026nanoparticles,
title = {{Nanoparticles Using Lavender and Rosemary Extracts as Reducing Agent: Physicochemical Characterization and Antiproliferative Activity Against Human Cancer Cells}},
author = {Lívia Mačák and Jana Ondrašovičová and Martina Zigova and Marek Vojtko and Maksym Lisnichuk and Silvia Ondrašovičová and Peter Pal’ove-Balang and Ján Király},
journal = {Nanomaterials},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/nano16211391},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/16/21/1391},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nanoparticles Using Lavender and Rosemary Extracts as Reducing Agent: Physicochemical Characterization and Antiproliferative Activity Against Human Cancer Cells
AU - Lívia Mačák
AU - Jana Ondrašovičová
AU - Martina Zigova
AU - Marek Vojtko
AU - Maksym Lisnichuk
AU - Silvia Ondrašovičová
AU - Peter Pal’ove-Balang
AU - Ján Király
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Nanomaterials
DO - 10.3390/nano16211391
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/16/21/1391
AB - Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized using plant extracts represent a promising approach combining environmentally friendly nanoparticle synthesis with potential biomedical applications. In this study, AgNPs were synthesized using aqueous extracts of dried Lavandula angustifolia (LEx) and Salvia rosmarinus (REx) leaves, physicochemically characterized, and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against six human cancer cell lines and one non-tumorigenic human cell line. HPLC analysis revealed distinct phytochemical profiles of the two extracts, while UV–Vis, FTIR, TEM, SAED, and SEM–EDX analyses were used to characterize the resulting lavender-mediated (LAg) and rosemary-mediated (RAg) AgNPs. TEM analysis showed a greater proportion of smaller nanoparticles in RAg than in LAg. Antiproliferative activity was evaluated using the MTT assay after 48 h of exposure, with LEx, REx, and AgNO3 included as controls. Both AgNP formulations exhibited cell-line-dependent activity. LAg reached IC50 values of 19.4–20.8 µmol Ag/L in five cancer cell lines, whereas RAg reached IC50 values of 14.4–25.2 µmol Ag/L. The lowest IC50 was observed for RAg in PaTu 8902 pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells (14.4 ± 0.6 µmol Ag/L). In contrast, the IC50 was not reached in A549 or non-tumorigenic CCD-18Co cells at concentrations up to 50 µmol Ag/L (IC50 > 50 µmol Ag/L). Neither LEx nor REx produced 50% inhibition of cell viability at concentrations up to 1.7% (v/v). Similarly, AgNO3 did not achieve 50% inhibition at concentrations up to 50 µmol/L in any of the cell lines tested. These findings demonstrate formulation- and cell-line-dependent antiproliferative activity of green-synthesized AgNPs and support further investigation of their biological effects and underlying mechanisms.
SN - 2079-4991
ER -