Anti-Angiogenic and Anti-Metastatic Effects of Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Azadirachta indica

Background: Nanotechnology symbolizes a broad discipline with enormous potential in cancer treatment bridging one of the bottlenecks of traditional approaches in cancer therapy which is an inability to deliver adequate quanti-ties of anti-cancer drugs to the tumor area. Studies on nanoparticles indicate their importance in cancer angiogenesis and metastasis. Aim: The present study assessed anti-angiogenesis and anti-metastatic effects of biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized from neem plant (Azadirachta indica). Methods: Chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and two-dimensional (2D) wound healing assays were used to study anti-angiogenic and an-ti-metastatic effects of the AgNPs respectively. Twenty-four fertilized eggs were divided into four groups: two biogenic AgNPs treatments at 100 µg/ml and 200 µg/ml; negative control (1% DMSO) and positive control (cyclo-phosphamide). 2D wound healing assay, DU145 human prostate cells were grown in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium supplemented with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum. Results: Biogenic AgNPs demonstrated anti-angiogenic effects in a dose-dependent manner in the parameters generated from the CAM images. Also, qRT-PCR revealed down-regulation of iNOS and VEGF genes. The 2-dimensional wound healing assay showed inhibition of migration and motility of the DU145 cells for the 72-hours of assessment. Conclusion: The present study postulates that the biogenic AgNPs can prevent angiogenesis by inactivation of VEGF-NO and VEGF/VEGF-R pathways while inhibiting cell migration and metastasis.