Green Synthesised TiO Nanoparticles-Mediated : Evaluation of Their Role in Reducing Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and Human Breast Cancer Proliferation

Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation interplay with the pathogenesis of cancer. Breast cancer in women is the burning issue of this century, despite chemotherapy and magnetic therapy. The management of secondary complications triggered by post-chemotherapy poses a great challenge. Thus, identifying target-specific drugs with anticancer potential without secondary complications is a challenging task for the scientific community. It is possible that green technology has been employed in a greater way in order to fabricate nanoparticles by amalgamating plants with medicinal potential with metal oxide nanoparticles that impart high therapeutic properties with the least toxicity. Thus, the present study describes the synthesis of Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO NPs) using aqueous fruit extract, with its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. The characterisation of TiO NPs was carried out using a powdered X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta-potential. TiO NPs showed their antioxidant property by scavenging 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals in a dose-dependent manner with an IC value of 80.21 µg/µL. To ascertain the observed antioxidant potential of TiO NPs, red blood cells (RBC) were used as an in vitro model system. Interestingly, TiO NPs significantly ameliorated all the stress parameters, such as lipid peroxidation (LPO), protein carbonyl content (PCC), total thiol (TT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) in sodium nitrite (NaNO)-induced oxidative stress, in RBC. Furthermore, TiO NPs inhibited RBC membrane lysis and the denaturation of both egg and bovine serum albumin, significantly in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting its anti-inflammatory property. Interestingly, TiO NPs were found to kill the MCF-7 cells as a significant decrease in cell viability of the MCF-7 cell lines was observed. The percentage of growth inhibition of the MCF-7 cells was compared to that of untreated cells at various doses (12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 µg/mL). The IC value of TiO NPs was found to be (120 µg/mL). Furthermore, the Annexin V/PI staining test was carried out to confirm apoptosis. The assay indicated apoptosis in cancer cells after 24 h of exposure to TiO NPs (120 µg/mL). The untreated cells showed no significant apoptosis in comparison with the standard drug doxorubicin. In conclusion, TiO NPs potentially ameliorate NaNO-induced oxidative stress in RBC, inflammation and MCF-7 cells proliferation.