Bactericidal and Cytotoxic Properties of Silver Nanoparticles

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can be synthesized from a variety of techniques including physical, chemical and biological routes. They have been widely used as nanomaterials for manufacturing cosmetic and healthcare products, antimicrobial textiles, wound dressings, antitumor drug carriers, etc. due to their excellent antimicrobial properties. Accordingly, AgNPs have gained access into our daily life, and the inevitable human exposure to these nanoparticles has raised concerns about their potential hazards to the environment, health, and safety in recent years. From in vitro cell cultivation tests, AgNPs have been reported to be toxic to several human cell lines including human bronchial epithelial cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, red blood cells, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, immortal human keratinocytes, liver cells, etc. AgNPs induce a dose-, size- and time-dependent cytotoxicity, particularly for those with sizes ≤10 nm. Furthermore, AgNPs can cross the brain blood barrier of mice through the circulation system on the basis of in vivo animal tests. AgNPs tend to accumulate in mice organs such as liver, spleen, kidney and brain following intravenous, intraperitoneal, and intratracheal routes of administration. In this respect, AgNPs are considered a double-edged sword that can eliminate microorganisms but induce cytotoxicity in mammalian cells. This article provides a state-of-the-art review on the synthesis of AgNPs, and their applications in antimicrobial textile fabrics, food packaging films, and wound dressings. Particular attention is paid to the bactericidal activity and cytotoxic effect in mammalian cells.

Health Impact of Silver Nanoparticles: A Review of the Biodistribution and Toxicity Following Various Routes of Exposure

“…DNA damage at a concentration of 0.1 µg/mL of AgNPs was also reported in a study that investigated chromosomal aberrations in human mesenchymal cells [149]. Furthermore, the potential of AgNPs to induce genes that are associated with cell cycle progression, cause chromosomal damage, cell cycle arrest, and cell death in human BEAS-2B cells, umbilical vein endothelial cells, and hepatocellular liver carcinoma cells at various concentrations was also reported [144]. In spite of these numerous studies, a major limitation of the in vitro study of hazard identification with respect to human health is related to the doses used in in vitro studies, as these doses may not be comparable to realistic exposure doses in human.…”

“…Results of in vitro studies have indicated that AgNPs are toxic to the mammalian cells that are derived from the skin, the liver, the lung, the brain, the vascular system and reproductive organs [144]. The cytotoxicity of AgNPs depends on their size, shape, surface charge, coating/capping agent, dosage, oxidation state, agglomeration and type of pathogens against which their toxicity is investigated [42,108,145,146].…”

“Smart” Antimicrobial Nanocomplexes with Potential to Decrease Surgical Site Infections (SSI)

“…The antimicrobial activities of our four samples TCA-AgNP, TCA-AgNP-PI, Cinn-AgNP, Cinn-AgNP-PI and their dip-coated PGA sutures were tested against 6 pathogens compared to 3 common antibiotics (cefotaxime, gentamycin and nystatin According to our viewpoint, the hybrid complex of AgNP, PI, and bioactive compounds can be a sustainable combination of known antimicrobial agents with increased biocompatibility, microbial growth control, and minimized adverse effects of PI and AgNP [49,60].…”

“…PI is a stabilizing agent and reservoir for triiodide anions releasing free molecular iodine for biocidal action [32,48]. AgNP is a drug carrier and adsorbs TCA, Cinn, and PI on its large surface [57,60]. TCA, Cinn, and PI as stabilizing agents prevent agglomeration of silver, resulting in smaller AgNPs and better microbial growth control.…”

Limitations of Recent Studies Dealing with the Antibacterial Properties of Silver Nanoparticles: Fact and Opinion

“…However, at the same time, you must never forget the second and equally important step: the safety of your "promising" antibacterial agent (i.e., Ag NPs). De facto, many studies have reported a possible toxicity of Ag NPs, both in vivo and in vitro (see [82] for a state-of-the-art review). Finally, studying the mechanisms of interaction between Ag NPs and biological cells (i.e., eukaryotic cells) in order to better appreciate the potential risks related to a possible future use of Ag NPs as antibacterial agents, also seems to become a significant issue.…”