Eco‐Friendly Influence of Gamma‐Irradiation on (Acrylamide/Carbon Disulfide) as a Potential Anticancer Agent Induced Apoptotic Cell Death in Pancreatic Carcinoma Cell Line
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Polyacrylamide (PAAm) was made from acrylamide (AAm), polycarbondisulfide (PCS 2 ) from carbon disulfide (CS 2 ), and their copolymer P(AAm/CS 2 ) at a fixed equal ratio using gamma irradiation. The polymers were characterized using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), CHNS/O elemental microanalysis, x‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results demonstrated the effective synthesis of PAAm, PCS 2 , and P(AAm/CS 2 ), with the copolymer having an average molecular weight of 187,673 Da. The produced polymers were tested for their cytotoxic and pro‐apoptotic effects on human pancreatic carcinoma (PANC‐1) cells in light of the urgent need for efficient treatments against this aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. With half‐maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC 50 ) of > 500 μg/mL for PAAm, 156 μg/mL for PCS 2 , and 99.2 μg/mL for P(AAm/CS 2 ), the copolymer demonstrated superior cytotoxic potential. Flow cytometric analysis provided additional support for these findings. Treatment with 125 μg/mL of PAAm resulted in 4.8% early and 13.3% late apoptosis, whereas PCS 2 at the same concentration caused 30.8% early and 18.5% late apoptosis. Notably, 125 μg/mL of P(AAm/CS 2 ) caused a significant increase in apoptosis, resulting in 39.3% of early apoptotic cell populations and 28.6% of late apoptotic cell populations. According to gene expression analysis, P53, Caspase‐3, Caspase‐7, and Bax genes were upregulated and Bcl‐2 was downregulated after treatment with 125 μg/mL of PCS 2 or P(AAm/CS 2 ). However, PAAm had no significant impact on these apoptotic markers. In comparison to untreated PANC‐1 cells, P(AAm/CS 2 ) showed the strongest response, resulting in significant ( p ≤ 0.05) increases in P53 (4.4‐fold), Caspase‐3 (2.9‐fold), Caspase‐7 (8.3‐fold), and Bax (5.5‐fold) expression levels, while Bcl‐2 expression was significantly reduced (0.09‐fold). In conclusion, the produced copolymer P(AAm/CS 2 ) exhibits a strong anticancer effect on pancreatic carcinoma cells by inducing apoptosis, thereby supporting its potential as a promising polymer‐based therapeutic agent.
Source: Biopolymers
DOI: 10.1002/bip.70066
Institutions: Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Al-Azhar University
Language: English
Subfield: Polymers and Plastics
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4416855071