Phytochemical and nanoparticle-based therapeutic potential of

Background: Cancer remains a major global health challenge, and despite advances in chemotherapy, there is a need for safer plant-derived therapeutics. Methods: Alcoholic extract of Si extract was fractionated, and GC-MS identified cryptomeridiol as the major bioactive compound. Structural confirmation was performed using IR, ^1H NMR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. SiAgNPs were synthesized using Si extract and characterized by UV-Vis, FTIR, FESEM, and XRD. Cytotoxicity was assessed by CCK-8 assays, while apoptosis was confirmed morphologically. Molecular docking evaluated the binding of cryptomeridiol with hepatocellular carcinoma-associated protein targets (PDB IDs: 8QAL, 8QAN, 8QAP, 8QAR, 8QAZ). Results: IR spectra confirmed hydroxyl and olefinic functional groups in cryptomeridiol, while ^1H NMR showed characteristic methyl, methylene, hydroxyl methine, and olefinic proton signals. SiAgNP formation was indicated by a color change (yellow → brown) and a surface plasmon resonance peak at 437 nm. FTIR of SiAgNPs revealed reduced intensities of O-H, C=O, and C-O bands, confirming phytochemical involvement in nanoparticle stabilization. FESEM showed spherical nanoparticles with an average size of 38.35 ± 16.42 nm, and XRD analysis confirmed their crystalline FCC structure with a crystallite size of ~16.8 nm. Cytotoxicity assays demonstrated IC Conclusion: Si extract, cryptomeridiol, and SiAgNPs are well-characterized, biologically active agents that induce apoptosis and inhibit HepG2 proliferation. These findings highlight cryptomeridiol as a potent phytochemical scaffold and demonstrate the translational potential of combining phytochemicals with nanotechnology for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy through the