To the best of our knowledge, cyanobacterial strains from the Arabian Gulf have never been investigated with respect to their potential for nanoparticle production. Lyngbya majuscula was isolated from the AlOqair area, Al-Ahsa Government, Eastern Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The cyanobacterium was initially incubated with 1500 mg/mL of HAuClâ‚„ for two days. The blue-green strain turned purple, which indicated the intracellular formation of
gold nanoparticles. Prolonged incubation for over two months triggered the extracellular production of nanogold particles. UV-visible spectroscopy measurements indicated the presence of a resonance plasmon band at ~535 nm, whereas electron microscopy scanning indicated the presence of
gold nanoparticles with an average diameter of 41.7 ± 0.2 nm. The
antioxidant and anti-
myocardial infarction activities of the cyanobacterial extract, the
gold nanoparticle
solution, and a combination of both were investigated in animal models.
Isoproterenol (100 mg/kg, SC (sub cutaneous)) was injected into experimental rats for three days to induce a state of
myocardial infarction; then the animals were given cyanobacterial extract (200 mg/kg/day, IP (intra peritoneal)),
gold nanoparticles (200 mg/kg/day, IP), ora mixture of both for 14 days. Cardiac
biomarkers, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, and
antioxidant enzymes were determined as indicators of
myocardial infarction. The results showed that
isoproterenol elevates ST and QT segments and increases heart rate and serum activities of
creatine phosphokinase (CPK),
creatine kinase-myocardial bound (CP-MB), and cardiac
troponin T (cTnT). It also reduces heart tissue content of
glutathione peroxidase (GRx) and
superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the arterial pressure indices of systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP).
Gold nanoparticles alone or in combination with cyanobacterial extract produced an inhibitory effect on
isoproterenol-induced changes in serum cardiac injury markers, ECG, arterial pressure indices, and
antioxidant capabilities of the heart.