Comparative Assessment of Silver Nanocomposites’ Biological Effects on the Natural and Synthetic Matrix

Abstract

The aim of our investigation was to make a comparative assessment of the biological effects of silver nanoparticles encapsulated in a natural and synthetic polymer matrix. We carried out a comparative assessment of the biological effect of silver nanocomposites on natural (arabinogalactan) and synthetic (poly-1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole) matrices. We used 144 three-month-old white outbred male rats, which were divided into six groups. Substances were administered orally for 9 days at a dose 500 μg/kg. Twelve rats from each group were withdrawn from the experiment immediately after nine days of exposure (early period), and the remaining 12 rats were withdrawn from the experiment 6 months after the end of the nine-day exposure (long-term period). We investigated the parietal–temporal area of the cerebral cortex using histological (morphological assessments of nervous tissue), electron microscopic (calculation of mitochondrial areas and assessment of the quality of the cell nucleus), and immunohistochemical methods (study of the expression of proteins regulating apoptosis bcl-2 and caspase 3). We found that the effect of the nanocomposite on the arabinogalactan matrix causes a disturbance in the nervous tissue structure, an increase in the area of mitochondria, a disturbance of the structure of nerve cells, and activation of the process of apoptosis.

The Analysis of Acute and Subacute Toxicity of Silver Selenide Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Arabinogalactan Polymer Matrix

“…The choice of dose is due to previous studies of the toxic properties of nanocomposites of other metals (Ag, Bi, Fe, etc.) [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ], indicating the development of clear and persistent signs of pathology with the introduction of this dose. Control animals ( n = 10) received 1 mL of distilled water in the same mode.…”

Toxicology, Nanotoxicology and Occupational Diseases Related to Chemical Exposure

“…Outcomes related to physical, chemical and biological effects will allow us to solve most diagnostic and therapeutic tasks [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Novikov et al [ 17 ] carry out a comparative assessment of the biological effects of silver nanoparticles encapsulated in natural and synthetic stabilizing polymer matrices and reveal the features of their effects. Pathological abnormalities expressed in the structure of the temporoparietal zone of the sensorimotor cortex of the rat brain, increasing over time, are found in the nanobiocomposites of silver nanoparticles and the natural polysaccharide arabinogalactan.…”