Anticancer Activity of the in Vitro-Derived Extract of Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill) Treated with Selenium Nanoparticles

Abstract

The anticancer activity of the extracts produced from in-vitro cladodes of Opuntia ficus-Indica L. Mill was evaluated. In which, two different treatments of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) 2.5 and 5 mg were supplemented to the basal culture medium. The highest number of shoots per explant and the maximum length of Opuntia shoots were obtained with selenium nanoparticles (5 mg/l) at 11.33 shoots/explant and 8.20 cm, respectively. The highest total phenolic content was found at 168.5 mg/g in the extract of in-vitro cladodes, which were previously cultured on MS medium provided with selenium nanoparticles at 5.0 mg/l, compared to the extract of in-vitro cladodes cultured on MS basal medium with selenium nanoparticles at 2.5 mg/l,which recorded 91.5 mg/g DW of total phenolic. These significant results revealed anticancer activity on both the viability and proliferation/migration of A549 lung cells. Considering cytotoxicity, the IC50 value on A549 cells was 3535.92 μg/ml, showing dose-dependent increases. Meantime, from the in vitro control analyses of the plants, the IC50 value was 3766.16 μg/ml, again showing an increase based on dose dependence. These concluded results refer to a new agent for lung cancer prevention instead of chemoprevention.