Dragon fruit extract capped gold nanoparticles: Synthesis and their differential cytotoxicity effect on breast cancer cells

Abstract Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles from Dragon fruit extract (DF extract) can be considered as an eco-friendly alternative for synthesis of gold nanoparticles. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of this fruit to synthesize gold nanoparticles and to study its anticancer activity. The as synthesized gold nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infra-red spectroscopy and Transmission Electron microscopy. The results from XRD and TEM support the biosynthesis of DF extract capped gold nanoparticles (DF-AuNPs) in the size range of 10–20 nm. The DF extract and DF-AuNPs induced significant growth inhibition of MCF-7 breast cancer cells however, no significant toxicity effect was observed on MDA-MB-231 cells.