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.