• Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles coated with Methotrexate-conjugated Polyvinyl Alcohol along with X-ray exposure on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line
  • Nazli Aghapour,1 Mahmoud Gharbavi,2 Faezeh Hanifeh,3 Behrooz Johari,4,*
    1. Student Research Committee, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
    2. Nanotechnology Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical
    3. Department of biological sciences, Institute for advanced studies in basic science, Zanjan, Iran
    4. Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran


  • Introduction: Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer diagnosed in women worldwide. The main treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, but these treatments have many limitations and side effects. Methotrexate (MTX) is used in the treatment of many neoplasms. In the present study, we aimed to green synthesis of silver nanoparticles coated with methotrexate-conjugated polyvinyl alcohol and investigate the effects of combinational therapy following X-irradiation on tumor cells.
  • Methods: Size and surface charge, physico-chemical characteristics, and morphology of synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by DLS, FT-IR, UV-Vis, and FESEM. To assess blood biocompatibility, a hemolysis test was used. Various assays such as cell uptake, cell viability, and apoptosis were tested to investigate the increased radiosensitivity and anticancer effects of the synthesized nanostructures in both conditions with and without X-ray exposure.
  • Results: The physicochemical properties of synthesized nanostructures showed that the synthesis of nanostructures was successfully carried out. The results obtained from the cell uptake assay show the effective uptake of nanostructures by MDA-MB-231 cells. The Ag@PVA-MTX nanoparticles significantly reduced cell growth and increased apoptosis in both conditions with and without X-ray exposure.
  • Conclusion: Coating silver nanoparticles with polyvinyl alcohol and conjugating with methotrexate (Ag@PVA-MTX NPs) leads to an increase in radiosensitivity and as a result their therapeutic efficiency.
  • Keywords: Silver nanoparticles, Chemotherapy, Radiation sensitizer, Triple-negative breast cancer cell