Anticancer effects of Echinacea purpurea extracts, treated with green synthesized ZnO nanoparticles on human breast cancer (MCF-7) and PBMCs proliferation

Abstract

The medicinal plant of Echinacea purpurea has been used commonly in traditional medicine of Iran for antioxidant and anticancer activity. In this study, ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using Allium jesdianum extract and then the effects of synthetized ZnO NPs on anti-cancer activity and amount of cichoric acid and flavonoid in aerial and root extracts of E. purpurea were investigated. The formation of ZnO NPs was confirmed by UV-visible absorption spectrum, XRD, DLS, FTIR and SEM techniques. The effect of extracts of E. purpurea treated with synthesized ZnO NPs on the MCF-7, MCF-10 and peripheral blood monolayer cells were investigated. The FTIR spectrum confirmed the presence of phytochemicals around the ZnO NPs surface. The effect of synthesized ZnO NPs on anticancer activity of extract of E. purpurea and its biomass was found positive contrary to the untreated and ZnO microparticles (MPs) treated plants. According to HPLC result, the relative retention time for cichoric acid was appeared at 12 min. The plants treated with ZnO NPs produced up to 3.5 times more cichoric acid than the control. To the best of our knowledge, this is the primary study on the synthesis of ZnO NPs by A. jesdianum with to its effects on enhancing anticancer activity, PBMCs proliferation, contents of cichoric acid and flavonoid. © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd.