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Vol. 37 No. 12 (2025): Vol 37 Issue 12, 2025

Copyright (c) 2025 Krishnaveni S, Parvathi K, Ayyanaar S

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

ROS-Responsive Drug Release from Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles Loaded Saponin Nanoarchitectures for Targeted Cancer Therapy

https://doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2025.34632
Subramaniam Krishnaveni
PG & Research Department of Chemistry, L.R.G. Government Arts College for Women, Tiruppur-641604, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4706-3049
Kalyanasundaram Parvathi
PG & Research Department of Chemistry, L.R.G. Government Arts College for Women, Tiruppur-641604, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2002-9377
Srinivasan Ayyanaar
Department of Biotechnology, Kalaignarkarunanidhi Institute of Technology, Coimbatore-641402, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0453-8225

Corresponding Author(s) : Kalyanasundaram Parvathi

pkrparvathi@gmail.com

Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 37 No. 12 (2025): Vol 37 Issue 12, 2025

Abstract

Curcumin (CUR), a bioactive polyphenol derived from turmeric, has gained attention in drug delivery systems due to its potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer properties. It can inhibit cancer cell proliferation, metastasis and angiogenesis, while also sensitizing tumor cells to chemotherapy and overcoming drug resistance making it a strong candidate as an adjuvant in cancer therapy. However, curcumin’s clinical translation is hindered by poor bioavailability and rapid metabolism. To address these challenges, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive nanoparticle system is developed based on green synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The AgNPs were fabricated using Phyllanthus niruri leaves extract, serving as both a reducing and capping agent. These biogenic AgNPs were embedded in a saponin (SA) matrix chosen for its ROS-sensitivity due to lipid peroxidation at the double bonds further reinforced with starch and loaded with CUR, resulting in a multifunctional nanocomposite, Ag@SA-Starch-CUR-NPs. This platform leverages the tumor microenvironments acidic pH and elevated ROS levels to trigger targeted drug release. Saponin undergoes oxidative degradation in response to ROS, while starch enhances pH-sensitive CUR release under acidic conditions. The nanocomposites demonstrated high encapsulation efficiency (89.50%), pH and ROS-responsive release kinetics, particularly favouring drug release in tumor-like conditions. Physico-chemical characterization confirmed the composites thermal stability, spherical morphology and uniform elemental distribution. In vitro assays on MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines revealed potent cytotoxic activity (IC50 ≈ 19.5 ± 0.20 µg/mL), while anti-inflammatory testing showed significant activity (IC50 = 20.13 µg/mL), outperforming the standard formulations. Collectively, these findings highlight Ag@SA-Starch-CUR-NPs as a promising, biocompatible and environmentally friendly nanoplatform for targeted cancer therapy, offering improved drug delivery performance and therapeutic outcomes.

Keywords

Silver nanoparticles Saponin Curcumin ROS responsive Cytotoxicity
(1)
Krishnaveni, S.; Parvathi, K.; Ayyanaar, S. ROS-Responsive Drug Release from Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles Loaded Saponin Nanoarchitectures for Targeted Cancer Therapy. ajc 2025, 37, 3001-3010.
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