Biogenic Aspergillus tubingensis silver nanoparticles’ in vitro effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells, normal human fibroblasts, HEPG2, and Galleria mellonella

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely incorporated into different hygiene, personal care, and healthcare products. However, few studies have been undertaken to determine the effects of biogenic AgNPs on human health. The effect of biosynthesized AgNPs using the fungus Aspergillus tubingensis culture was evaluated on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), normal human fibroblasts (FN1), human hepatoma cells (HEPG2) and a Galleria mellonella model. HUVECs were more susceptible to biogenic AgNPs than normal fibroblasts FN1 and intense cytotoxicity was observed only for very high concentrations at and above 2.5 μM for both cells. Normal human fibroblasts FN1 exposed to AgNPs for 24 h showed viability of 98.83 ± 8.40% and 94.86 ± 5.50% for 1.25 and 2.5 μM, respectively. At 5 and 10 μM, related to the control, an increase in cell viability was observed being 112.66 ± 9.94% and 117.86 ± 8.86%, respectively. Similar results were obtained for treatment for 48 and 72 h. At 1.25, 2.5, 5 and 10 μM of AgNPs, at 24 h, HUVECs showed 51.34 ± 7.47%, 27.01 ± 5.77%, 26.00 ± 3.03% and 27.64 ± 5.85% of viability, respectively. No alteration in cell distribution among different cycle phases was observed after HUVEC and normal fibroblast FN1 exposure to AgNPs from 0.01 to 1 μM for 24, 48 and 72 h. Based on the clonogenic assay, nanoparticles successfully inhibited HEPG2 cell proliferation when exposed to concentrations up to 1 μM. In addition to that, AgNPs did not induce senescence and no morphological alteration was observed by scanning electron microscopy on the endothelial cells. In the larvae of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella, a model for toxicity, AgNPs showed no significant effects, which corroborates to the safety of their use in mammalian cells. These results demonstrate that the use of A. tubingensis AgNPs is a promising biotechnological approach and these AgNPs can be applied in several biomedical situations.

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of New Synthesized Silver Ultra-NanoClusters (SUNCs) Against Helicobacter pylori

“…Conversely, other studies report that humans can tolerate the assumption up to 16 mg with low adverse effects ( Kim et al, 2012 , 2013 ; Amin et al, 2014 ), or propose nanosilver as a pharmaceutical agent that is non-toxic for humans ( Lansdown, 2006 ). These findings, together with the results reported here, strongly support the idea that a possible SUNCs therapy in vivo against H. pylori infection could be characterized by limited unwanted side effects ( Ottoni et al, 2019 ; Rodrigues et al, 2019 ). Indeed, the absorption of AgNP s and their toxicity on human intestinal cells have been monitored by Böhmert et al (2014) .…”

Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Mediated by Entomopathogenic Fungi: Antimicrobial Resistance, Nanopesticides, and Toxicity

“…Among these species of model insects, G. mellonella, D. melanogaster, and T. molitor were used to analyze the toxicity of silver nanoparticles; T. molitor that is easy to create and handle, a characteristic that also facilitates its use for this purpose [12,89,90]. The choice of insect species must be made considering the feasibility of their use as toxicity models or the existence of phylogenetic proximity with other insect species of economic importance.…”

New Prenylated Indole Homodimeric and Pteridine Alkaloids from the Marine-Derived Fungus Aspergillus austroafricanus Y32-2

“…Bioassay Protocols 3.6.1. Cell Culture and Cytotoxicity Assay According to previous report [24], The HepG2 cells were cultured with DMEM medium, pH 7.0, supplemented with 10% FBS and 1% antibiotics (10,000 IU mL −1 of penicillin and 10 mg mL −1 of streptomycin), and the culture flasks were incubated under a humidified atmosphere of 37 • C and 5% CO 2 . The cytotoxic activities of all compounds against HepG2 cells in vitro were determined by modified MTT assays as described previously [21].…”