ANTI-TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI SILVER NANOPARTICLES CONTAINING A FUCAN FROM SPATOGLOSSUM SCHRÖEDERI SEAWEED: SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION
Fucoidan; Chagas disease; Brown seaweed; anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity
The brown seaweed Spatoglossum schröederi synthesizes three types of bioactive heterofucans, the most abundant of which is fucan A. Silver nanoparticles containing fucan A (AgFuc) were produced using an environmentally friendly synthesis method. Fucan A was extracted from S. schröederi and its identity was confirmed by chemical analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and agarose gel electrophoresis. AgFuc synthesis was analyzed via UV–vis spectroscopy at kmax = 440 nm and FTIR, which confirmed the presence of both silver and fucan A in the AgFuc product. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy revealed that the AgFuc particles were ~180.0 nm in size and spherical in shape. DLS also demonstrated that AgFuc was stable for 5 months and coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) showed that the AgFuc particles contained 5% silver. AgFuc was also shown to be more effective in inhibiting the ability of parasites to reduce MTT than fucan A or silver, regardless of treatment time. In addition, AgFuc induced the death of ~60% of parasites by necrosis and ~17% by apoptosis. Therefore, AgFuc induces damage to the parasites' mitochondria, which suggests that it is an anti-Trypanosoma cruzi agent. This is the first study to analyze silver nanoparticles containing fucan as an anti-Trypanosoma cruzi agent. Our data indicate that AgFuc nanoparticles have potential therapeutic applications, which should be determined via preclinical studies in vitro and in vivo.