Anti-tumor activity of verbascoside loaded gold nanoparticles.

Verbascoside (VB), a major bioactive constituent of the Tsoong herb, has attracted a great deal of attention due to its pharmacological properties. In this study, we demonstrated the inhibitory effect of VB-loaded gold nanoparticles (VB-Au) on the growth of K562 cells both in vitro and in vivo. We found that, in contrast with the same concentration of gold nanoparticles (Au) or VB, VB-Au significantly decreased the viability of K562 cells and promoted the apoptosis of tumor cells. A tumor implantation mouse model further showed that the intravenous injection of VB-Au effectively inhibited the growth and induced the apoptosis of tumor cells. In conclusion, our results collectively demonstrate that VB-Au nanoparticles provide an effective strategy to control tumor cell growth.