Paper Title
Cytotoxic and Genotoxic Effect of Lantadenes Loaded Gold Nanoparticles on Tumor Cells in Vitro

Abstract
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been widely employed in many applications and their usage as drug-delivery vehicles has gained considerable attention due to their chemical and optical properties as well as their good biocompatibility. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of AuNPs in enhancing the cytotoxic and apoptotic induction activity of lantadene A (LA), purified from Lantana camara leaves, against breast tumor cells (MCF-7). Utilizing the green synthesis method, LA-loaded AuNPs (LA-AuNPs) were prepared and their formation was confirmed by means of UV-visible spectroscope, atomic force microscope, scanning electron microscope, and energy dispersive X-ray Spectrometer. The cytotoxic effect of LA-AuNPs was analyzed using MTT assay. The results indicated the significant increase in reduction of MCF-7 cells viability after incubation with LA-AuNPs as compared with free LA. As determined by TUNEL assay, LA-AuNPs induced a greater ratio of DNA-fragmented cells compared with LA-treated and untreated cells. In addition, LA-AuNPs-treated cells displayed an increased up-regulation of p53 expression and down-regulation of BCL-2 expression with significant reduction in the level of BCL-2/BAX ratio while no significant effect was shown on the expression of BAX.