Silver Materials Induce Differential Cytotoxicity and Pulmonary Toxicity Based on Size and Shape

Abstract

Silver materials may be toxic in humans because they can enter the body and accumulate, typically in the lungs. We hypothesized that the cytotoxicity of naïve silver materials is affected by their size and shape. Our in vitro assays revealed that the overall toxicity was in the following order: submicro-particles > wires > micro-particles. These results contrast with previous studies, which showed that silver wires are the most toxic among the three tested materials, possibly due to differences in cell lines. Evaluations of in vivo pulmonary toxicity revealed eryptosis in the cavity lining of the lung sections. The observed eryptosis was consistent with the in vitro results. Our results indicate that silver materialinduced cytotoxicity must be measured and compared using various methods.