Publishing an article by faculty members of Zabol University on the treatment of breast cancer in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports, a sub-group of Nature publications.

According to the Public Relations Department of Zabol University, an article by the faculty members of the Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Department was published in the 15th issue of 2025 of the prestigious journal Scientific Reports from the Nature subgroup, entitled "Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from plant Astragalus fasciculifolius Bioss and evaluating cytotoxic effects on MCF7 human breast cancer cells". This article was published by Dr. Baratali Fakheri (Professor of the Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Department of the Faculty of Agriculture), based on the thesis of a doctoral student in this department (first author) and in collaboration with other faculty members of the department, including Dr. Nafiseh Mehdinejad (Associate Professor of the Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Department of the Faculty of Agriculture), and with researchers from universities and research institutes in the country (Zahedan University of Medical Sciences and Zabol Research Institute). In this study, using green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from the Astragalus fasciculifolius Bioss plant, its cytotoxic effects on MCF7 human breast cancer cells were evaluated.
Astragalus fasciculifolius Bioss is a medicinal plant of the Fabaceae family known for its rich compounds of saponins, flavonoids and polysaccharides and its therapeutic properties. Research has shown that these compounds effectively treat heart diseases and inhibit the growth of cancer cells while also reducing the side effects of chemotherapy. Recent research has focused on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the aqueous extract of Astragalus fasciculifolius and investigated their potential cytotoxic effects against human breast cancer cells MCF-7. Thus, it has created a bridge between traditional herbal medicine and modern nanotechnology. The results showed that Astragalus fasciculifolius can be effectively used as a reducing agent for the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) obtained from Astragalus fasciculifolius have the potential to be used effectively in cancer treatment methods and inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Access link to the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-05224-5