SnO₂-NPs (synthesized from crude rosmarinic acid) inhibit HeLa cells progression in vitro for anti-tumor investigation and act as an angiogenic inhibitor in ovo CAM xenograft

Cancer registries on a global scale have led to the search for new drugs that are toxic to cancer cells whilst being safe for normal cells. Nanoparticles have garnered keen interest in tumor therapy studies over the last decade. Biological approaches to the synthesis of SnO₂-NPs are being adopted because green chemistry is comprehensively considered as eco-friendly. Our investigation describes a quick and one-step technique of producing SnO₂-NPs using rosmarinic acid (RA) as a reducing and stabilizing agent, followed by an ultrasound-assisted methodology. UV–vis, XRD, FTIR, zeta analysis, EDX, SEM, TEM with SAED, PL spectroscopy, XPS, BET and Raman spectral analyses were used to characterize the produced SnO₂-NPs. UV–vis spectroscopy showed an absorbance in the wavelength range 200–600 nm. XRD confirmed the crystallite structure of the SnO₂-NPs. The FTIR spectrum was recorded over the 400 to 4000 cm ⁻¹ range, which identified the functional groups of the SnO₂-NPs. The elemental composition, surface morphology and size were observed via EDX, SEM, TEM and SAED, respectively. Binding energies, together with the optical properties, were analyzed with XPS. PL spectroscopy, with excitation at 320 nm, confirmed the SnO₂-NPs formation. Our study incorporates the evaluation of the SnO₂-NPs as an antitumor agent, tested in vitro on HeLa cell lines via an MTT assay, DAPI, wound healing scratch assay, Annexin V-FITC/PI and as an angiogenic inhibitor in ovo in CAM as xenograft models, to get a better insight of its usability in biomedical applications. Concentration-dependent conclusions are obtained from all the assessed experiments and demonstrate the convenient utilization of crude RA extract for SnO₂-NPs, which may represent a potential candidate for use against cervical cancer.