THE EFFECT OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED BY SODIUM CITRATE AND FUNCTIONALIZED WITH ANTICANCER AND NATURAL COMPOUNDS ON CANCER CELL LINES: DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF Associated Professor MARIUS IULIU SALAJAN (1952-2004)

Madalina Anca UJICA; Ionel MANG; Ossi HOROVITZ; Olga SORITAU; Gheorghe TOMOAIA; Aurora MOCANU; Horea-Rares-Ciprian  BENEA; Viorica RAISCHI; Csaba VARHELYI; George BORODI; Maria TOMOAIA-COTISEL

doi:10.24193/subbchem.2025.1.05

THE EFFECT OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED BY SODIUM CITRATE AND FUNCTIONALIZED WITH ANTICANCER AND NATURAL COMPOUNDS ON CANCER CELL LINES

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF Associated Professor MARIUS IULIU SALAJAN (1952-2004)

Authors

Madalina Anca UJICA Babeş-Bolyai University, Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos Str., RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Ionel MANG Babeş-Bolyai University, Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos Str., RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 47 General Traian Moşoiu Str., RO-400132, Cluj-Napoca, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5017-1885
Ossi HOROVITZ Babeş-Bolyai University, Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos Str., RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. ossihor@yahoo.com https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3652-8558
Olga SORITAU Oncologic Institute Prof. Dr. I. Chiricuţă, 20-26 Republicii Str., 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9270-8529
Gheorghe TOMOAIA Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 47 General Traian Moşoiu Str., RO-400132, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Academy of Romanian Scientists, 3 Ilfov Str., RO-050044, Bucharest, Romania
Aurora MOCANU Babeş-Bolyai University, Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos Str., RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8728-045X
Horea-Rares-Ciprian BENEA Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 47 General Traian Moşoiu Str., RO-400132, Cluj-Napoca, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0255-9364
Viorica RAISCHI Babeş-Bolyai University, Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos Str., RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Institute of Physiology and Sanocreatology, State University of Moldova, Academy 1 Str., MD-2028, Chișinău, Moldova. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3392-3648
Csaba VARHELYI Babeş-Bolyai University, Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos Str., RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2938-4637
George BORODI National Research-Development Institute for Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 67-103 Donath Str., RO-400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4915-4169
Maria TOMOAIA-COTISEL Babeş-Bolyai University, Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos Str., RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Academy of Romanian Scientists, 3 Ilfov Str., RO-050044, Bucharest, Romania. mcotisel@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0995-3006

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbchem.2025.1.05

Keywords:

functionalized gold nanoparticles, cytotoxicity and anticancer activity, cancer cell lines

Abstract

Natural compounds, such as trans-resveratrol, R, piperine, P, and icariin, Ic, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and potential anticancer activity. Gold nanoparticles, GNPs, are biocompatible and can be used as carriers for biomolecule delivery, improving their performance at a small dose. The aim of the present study was to synthesize GNPs with sodium citrate, noted GNP_C (or GNP-C), and enhancing their stability and anticancer activity by functionalization with R, P, Ic, asparagine, A, and doxorubicin, D, as a standard drug. The obtained GNPs as cores, loading selected biomolecules, adsorbed on their surface as shells, were characterized by various methods, UV-Vis spectroscopy, XRD, AFM, TEM, and particle size analysis. The anticancer activity of functionalized GNP_C was evaluated using MTT assay in four human cell lines: breast cancer, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines, tumor stem cells (isolated from glioblastoma), a GM1 cell line, and a normal (healthy) stem cell line derived from a dental follicle, DF. GNP_C functionalized with R, P or Ic exhibited an anticancer activity comparable to GNP_C functionalized with doxorubicin for low concentrations in gold and in natural compounds, thus reducing side effects of anticancer drug. These promising results need further examination using various cell lines and animal models, to clinical applications.

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STUDIA UBB CHEMIA, Volume 70 (LXX), No. 1, March 2025

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Published

2025-03-20

How to Cite

UJICA, M. A., MANG, I., HOROVITZ, O., SORITAU, O., TOMOAIA, G., MOCANU, A., … TOMOAIA-COTISEL, M. (2025). THE EFFECT OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED BY SODIUM CITRATE AND FUNCTIONALIZED WITH ANTICANCER AND NATURAL COMPOUNDS ON CANCER CELL LINES: DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF Associated Professor MARIUS IULIU SALAJAN (1952-2004). Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Chemia, 70(1), 65–86. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbchem.2025.1.05