Evaluating the Cytotoxic Potential of Silver Nanoparticles Derived from Rubus ellipticus against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Evaluating the Cytotoxic Potential of Silver Nanoparticles Derived from Rubus ellipticus against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Evaluating the Cytotoxic Potential of Silver Nanoparticles Derived from Rubus ellipticus against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Darakhshan Javaid, Shahid Yousuf Ganie, Sheikh Showkat Ahmad, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8963159/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive and therapeutically challenging subtype of breast cancer, highlighting the need for safer and effective treatment alternatives. Present study was planned to phytofabricate silver nanoparticles using the aqueous leaf extract of Rubus ellipticus via an eco-friendly green synthesis approach and to validate their anticancer potential against TNBC. Formation of Rubus ellipticus Sm. derived silver nanoparticles (REAgNPs) was confirmed by a visible color change and a characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak at 422nm in UV–Vis spectroscopy. Comprehensive characterization using FTIR, SEM, EDX, TEM, SAED, AFM, XRD and zeta potential analysis revealed stable, spherical, crystalline nanoparticles with an average particle size of 10–30 nm, as determined from TEM measurements. REAgNPs exhibited a potential antioxidant activity in DPPH and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays. In vitro cytotoxicity studies demonstrated a concentration-dependent antiproliferative effect against MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells, with an IC₅₀ value of 30.12µg/mL, comparable to the standard chemotherapeutic drug 5-fluorouracil. Mechanistic investigations revealed that REAgNPs-induced cytotoxicity involved mitochondrial membrane depolarization, nuclear and DNA damage, phosphatidylserine externalization, G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest and caspase-3 activation, confirming apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway. This study highlights Rubus ellipticus derived silver nanoparticles as promising eco-friendly nanotherapeutic candidates for triple-negative breast cancer, warranting further in vivo validation and safety evaluation. Rubus ellipticus silver nanoparticles green synthesis triple-negative breast cancer apoptosis Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 03 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 25 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 25 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 24 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8963159","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":597290469,"identity":"54106179-5466-4b7f-b615-68e80a82a476","order_by":0,"name":"Darakhshan Javaid","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Darakhshan","middleName":"","lastName":"Javaid","suffix":""},{"id":597290470,"identity":"202af601-8792-4165-aba8-1e7f50f39ed2","order_by":1,"name":"Shahid Yousuf Ganie","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shahid","middleName":"Yousuf","lastName":"Ganie","suffix":""},{"id":597290471,"identity":"6251dcf4-34d0-49b2-b589-e49943855722","order_by":2,"name":"Sheikh Showkat Ahmad","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Guru Nanak Dev University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sheikh","middleName":"Showkat","lastName":"Ahmad","suffix":""},{"id":597290474,"identity":"95e6e261-2ea8-4ca7-8cff-00f01c6de568","order_by":3,"name":"Satwinderjeet Kaur","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Guru Nanak Dev University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Satwinderjeet","middleName":"","lastName":"Kaur","suffix":""},{"id":597290477,"identity":"6a978a5b-3562-40a1-86b7-a9b493737b31","order_by":4,"name":"Mohd Salim Reshi","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACNoYEBgYZNgbmA0COhAzRWnjYGNgSQFp4iNMCBECVPAZQBgFg3t7+7MGDP3Y8fGJnPr+6UWPBw8B++OgGfFpkzpwxN0hsS+Zhk87dZp1zDOgwnrS0G/i0SEjksEkkNjCDtRgD2TxA75jh1yL//JlEwp96oJacZ8Y5/4jRIsFgJpHAdhikhflxbhsxWnhyzCQS244DtaSZMef2SfCwEfQL+/Fnkj/+VMvJz05+/DnnW50cP/vhY3i1IAM2CTBJrHIQYP5AiupRMApGwSgYOQAAY088hs6Ef7YAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohd","middleName":"Salim","lastName":"Reshi","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-25 04:53:37","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8963159/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8963159/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104398656,"identity":"9eae5a13-951d-4e9b-aa97-fc0b8eaf5e72","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-11 12:03:09","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1480560,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"MainArticleRubusManuscriptWITHFIGS.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8963159/v1_covered_8bde9e15-3c56-456d-8b04-369dc39f4a7c.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Evaluating the Cytotoxic Potential of Silver Nanoparticles Derived from Rubus ellipticus against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"biomedical-materials-and-devices","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Biomedical Materials \u0026 Devices](https://link.springer.com/journal/44174)","snPcode":"44174","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/44174/3","title":"Biomedical Materials \u0026 Devices","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Rubus ellipticus, silver nanoparticles, green synthesis, triple-negative breast cancer, apoptosis","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8963159/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8963159/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive and therapeutically challenging subtype of breast cancer, highlighting the need for safer and effective treatment alternatives. Present study was planned to phytofabricate silver nanoparticles using the aqueous leaf extract of \u003cem\u003eRubus ellipticus\u003c/em\u003e via an eco-friendly green synthesis approach and to validate their anticancer potential against TNBC. Formation of \u003cem\u003eRubus ellipticus\u003c/em\u003e Sm. derived silver nanoparticles (REAgNPs) was confirmed by a visible color change and a characteristic surface plasmon resonance peak at 422nm in UV\u0026ndash;Vis spectroscopy. Comprehensive characterization using FTIR, SEM, EDX, TEM, SAED, AFM, XRD and zeta potential analysis revealed stable, spherical, crystalline nanoparticles with an average particle size of 10\u0026ndash;30 nm, as determined from TEM measurements. REAgNPs exhibited a potential antioxidant activity in DPPH and hydrogen peroxide scavenging assays. 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