1. Introduction
Herbal medicines are more important in preventing all types of cancer
due to the presence of fewer side effects than chemical medicines. For
this purpose, extensive studies have been conducted on various plants
and their cytotoxicity and anticancer effects have been investigated and
evaluated [1-3]. In this regard, measuring cell survival and
proliferation seems to be important in determining the effect of
anticancer drugs on cells; In this regard, several methods have been
standardized. Salvia officinalis is a flowering plant, sedum,
dicotyledons with continuous petals, a shrub with woody and stable
roots, 30 to 60 cm high, simple leaves [4-7]. This plant is native
to the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, which has become common
all over the world today. Due to its properties and unique taste, this
plant is used in many foods and as an infusion [5,6]. In the
traditional medicine of Asia and Latin America, Salvia
officinalis is used to treat a variety of disorders such as seizures,
wounds, inflammation and diarrhea, and in Europe to treat age-related
cognitive disorders [7-9]. Salvia officinalis improves
Alzheimer’s and lowers blood sugar. In recent years, many studies have
been conducted to find new biological effects for Salvia
officinalis . These studies show a wide range of medicinal activities
including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and analgesic
effects [6-8]. The chemical components in the aqueous and
hydroalcoholic extracts of this plant, such as cineole, penine,
flavonoids, especially rosmarinic acid, saponins, vitamins E and C,
etc., are responsible for these biological effects [3-6]. There is
evidence that shows that rosmarinic acid, one of the compounds ofSalvia officinalis , can suppress tumor development in several
organs of the body, including colon, breast, liver, abdomen, as well as
melanoma and leukemia cells. This substance can also increase the
activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase
enzymes [6-9].
Nanotechnology has grown rapidly in the manufacturing and production of
nanoparticles with varied sizes, shapes and distribution [9,10].
Although physical and chemical methods may have known and successful
pure production, they are generally hazardous to the environment,
time-consuming, and expensive [10-12]. Therefore, considering the
nanoparticle production environmental aspects, the use of plant biomass,
plant extracts, plant oils and microorganisms can be a main alternative
to the chemical and physical ways [10-13]. The biological production
of nanoparticles greatly lowers the risk of danger to the environment
and humans. The nanoparticle synthesis by biological materials has
become the interest of researchers because of their new physical and
chemical characteristics and their uses in several medical sciences,
optics, electronics and mechanics [13-16]. Using physical ways needs
high pressure and temperature as well as high cost. Also, in many
chemical ways, chemicals are dangerous and toxic not only for the
environment but also for biological systems [11-13]. The products of
the chemical methods are so toxic. So, the need for a suitable way with
low price, high efficiency, without environmental damage and toxic
substances production is increasing [12-15]. Biological production
is one of the ways of solving the above cases and attention to this way
of producing nanoparticles is increasing. There is a big list of
resources that are used in the metal nanoparticle biological production
[13-16]. Things like microorganisms such as bacteria, actinomycetes,
fungi and algae as well as plants and plant extracts are applied in the
nanoparticle biological production [16-19]. The use of plants due to
their compatibility with the environment and abundance are usually
prioritized [17-21]. Also, due to their lack of need for special
nutrients and conditions for growth, plants are considered the best
option for the nanoparticle production by the biological method
[19-21].
In the recent study, we investigated the vanadium nanoparticles
green-synthesized by Salvia officinalis in the cytotoxicity
studies against common human colorectal cancer cell lines i.e., Caco-2,
COLO 320, DLD-1, HCT-15, HCT-116, and HT-29.