The Impact of Engineered Silver Nanomaterials on the Immune System

Abstract

Over the last decades there has been a tremendous volume of research efforts focused on engineering silver-based (nano)materials. The interest in silver has been mostly driven by the element capacity to kill pathogenic bacteria. In this context, the main area of application has been medical devices that are at significant risk of becoming colonized by bacteria and subsequently infected. However, silver nanomaterials have been incorporated in a number of other commercial products which may or may not benefit from antibacterial protection. The rapid expansion of such products raises important questions about a possible adverse influence on human health. This review focuses on examining currently available literature and summarizing the current state of knowledge of the impact of silver (nano)materials on the immune system. The review also looks at various surface modification strategies used to generate silver-based nanomaterials and the immunomodulatory potential of these materials. It also highlights the immune response triggered by various silver-coated implantable devices and provides guidance and perspective towards engineering silver nanomaterials for modulating immunological consequences.

<p>Silver-Based Nanomaterials as Therapeutic Agents Against Coronaviruses: A Review</p>

“…93 Several researchers reported the impact of AgNMs on the inflammatory response. 94 Silver was reported to react with immune cells and affect the suppression or stimulation of various pathological conditions. It was reported that an increase in the size of AgNMs resulted in an increase in inflammatory cytokine secretion in rat alveolar macrophages, 95 toxicological effects on macrophage U937, 96 and also elicited an immune response in macrophages.…”

Cancer Immunotherapy and Application of Nanoparticles in Cancers Immunotherapy as the Delivery of Immunotherapeutic Agents and as the Immunomodulators

“…AgNPs also trigger inflammatory reactions cascade involving the activation of macrophages, neutrophils, and helper T cells [ 155 ]. Subsequently, AgNPs enhance the expression of numerous types of cytokines [ 156 , 157 ].…”

In vitro study on the immunomodulatory effects of differently functionalized silver nanoparticles on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

“…The engineering of silver-based nanomaterials (NMs) has experienced a tremendous technological evolution in the last decade. Although antibacterial activity of silver has been well known since the development of medicine in ancient civilizations, its inclusion in nanostructures has allowed increased biocompatibility and development of more efficient nanoproducts for biomedicine [1]. Thus, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) became one of the most investigated and exploited NMs due to their unique optical, electrical and biological properties [2].…”

“…Among numerous biomedical applications such as coatings for medical device and tissue regeneration materials, AgNPs awoke tremendous interest in therapeutic applications including drug or vaccine delivery platforms. Emerging problem of drug resistance emphasized broad variety of AgNPs designs as promising alternatives [1,3]. However, interaction of AgNPs with the immune system remains a key enigma for their implementation in such therapeutic tools.…”

“…Metallic NPs can be designed to interact with antigen presenting cells in bloodstream causing adaptive immunity (T-or B-cell) activation as already manifested for adjuvant effects of AgNPs in mice [4]. Modulating innate immunity, engineered AgNPs can suppress neutrophil cell activation and prevent inflammation or enhance immune response through neutrophil extracellular traps release [1][2][3][4][5].…”