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Anticancer activity of curcumin loaded hybrid system of silver-amine functionalized silica nanoparticles
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  • Published: 03 February 2026

Anticancer activity of curcumin loaded hybrid system of silver-amine functionalized silica nanoparticles

  • Syed Salman Shafqat  ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6961-30651,
  • Muhammad Hamza Wakeel1,
  • Muhammad Zubair2,
  • Syeda Amna Masood3,
  • Saba Rashid1,
  • Rawaiz Khan4,5,
  • Ali Bahadar5,6,
  • Muhammad Ashfaq7 &
  • …
  • Amir Azam Khan8,9 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Biochemistry
  • Biotechnology
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Drug discovery
  • Materials science
  • Nanoscience and technology

Abstract

Curcumin, a polyphenolic compound, has gained considerable attention in recent years as a therapeutic agent due to its ability to act at the cellular level and modulate multiple signaling pathways. However, its poor solubility, low bioavailability, and rapid metabolism limit its clinical applications for cancer treatment. The aim of the present study was to develop a novel hybrid nanocarrier system comprising curcumin-loaded silver–amine functionalized silica nanoparticles (CUR@Ag-AFS) for potential anticancer applications. Monodisperse silica nanoparticles were synthesized using a modified sol–gel method, functionalized with amine groups using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), and decorated with silver ions to form a stable hybrid matrix. Curcumin extracted from Curcuma longa was effectively encapsulated within the nanocarrier, achieving a high encapsulation efficiency (77%) and drug loading capacity (25%). FTIR, XRD, SEM–EDS, TGA, DSC, and zeta potential analyses confirmed successful surface modification, uniform drug incorporation, and improved stability. In vitro release studies demonstrated sustained and pH-responsive release behaviour, with maximum cumulative release (91.6%) under acidic conditions (pH 5.5), indicating suitability for tumor-targeted delivery. Furthermore, the CUR@Ag-AFS system exhibited enhanced dose-dependent cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cancer cells compared to pure curcumin, due to the combined therapeutic actions of curcumin and silver species. These findings highlight the potential of the CUR@Ag-AFS hybrid system for sustained, pH-sensitive curcumin delivery, offering multifunctional therapeutic applications in cancer rehabilitation and disability management.

Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.

Abbreviations

SiNPs:

Silica nanoparticles

AFS:

Amine-functionalized silica

Ag-AFS:

Silver-amine functionalized silica

CUR:

Curcumin

CUR@Ag-AFS:

Curcumin loaded silver–amine functionalized silica nanoparticles

CTAB:

Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide

TEOS:

Tetraethyl orthosilicate

APTES:

3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane

EE:

Encapsulation efficiency

DLE:

Drug loading efficiency

UV–Vis:

Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy

FTIR:

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

XRD:

X-ray diffraction

TGA:

Thermogravimetric analysis

DSC:

Differential scanning calorimetry

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

EDS:

Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy

PBS:

Phosphate-buffered saline

DMEM:

Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium

FBS:

Fetal bovine serum

HEK-293:

Human embryonic kidney 293 cells

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

DOX:

Doxorubicin

MTT:

3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide

DMSO:

Dimethyl sulfoxide

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Funding

The authors extend their appreciation to the King Salman Center for Disability Research for funding this work through Research Group No. *KSRG-2024-152..

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, Lahore, 54770, Pakistan

    Syed Salman Shafqat, Muhammad Hamza Wakeel & Saba Rashid

  2. Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, 38000, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Zubair

  3. Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, 40100, Pakistan

    Syeda Amna Masood

  4. Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, 11545, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Rawaiz Khan

  5. King Salman Center for Disability Research, 11614, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Rawaiz Khan & Ali Bahadar

  6. Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, 21911, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia

    Ali Bahadar

  7. Department of Chemistry, University of Narowal, Narowal, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ashfaq

  8. School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Amir Azam Khan

  9. Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan

    Amir Azam Khan

Authors
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Contributions

Syed Salman Shafqat: Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Conceptualization. Hamza Wakeel: Methodology. Muhammad Zubair: Formal analysis, Validation. Syeda Amna Masood: Investigation, Methodology. Saba Rashid: Writing – review & editing. Rawaiz Khan: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Methodology. Ali Bahadar: Investigation, Resources, Funding acquisition. Muhammad Ashfaq: Data curation. Amir Azam Khan: Supervision, Conceptualization.

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Correspondence to Syed Salman Shafqat.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Shafqat, S.S., Wakeel, M., Zubair, M. et al. Anticancer activity of curcumin loaded hybrid system of silver-amine functionalized silica nanoparticles. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-37829-9

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  • Received: 31 July 2025

  • Accepted: 27 January 2026

  • Published: 03 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-37829-9

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Keywords

  • Anticancer
  • Silver
  • Silica nanoparticles
  • Curcumin
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