Silver nanoparticles: a brief review of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of chemically and biogenically synthesized nanoparticles

Abstract

In recent years interest in silver nanoparticles and their applications has increased mainly because of the important antimicrobial activities of these nanomaterials, allowing their use in several industrial sectors. However, together with these applications, there is increasing concerning related to the biological impacts of the use of silver nanoparticles on a large scale, and the possible risks to the environment and health. In this scenario, some recent studies have been published based on the investigation of potential inflammatory effects and diverse cellular impacts of silver nanoparticles. Another important issue related to nanoparticle toxicity in biological media is the capacity for increased damage to the genetic material, since nanoparticles are able to cross cell membranes and reach the cellular nucleus. In this regard, there is increasing interest in the analysis of potential nanoparticle genotoxicity, including the effects of different nanoparticle sizes and methods of synthesis. However, little is known about the genotoxicity of different silver nanoparticles and their effects on the DNA of organisms; thus further studies in this field are required. This mini‐review aims to present and to discuss recent publications related to genotoxicity and the cytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles in order to better understand the possible applications of these nanomaterials in a safe manner. This present work concludes that biogenic silver nanoparticles are generally less cyto/genotoxic in vivo compared with chemically synthesized nanoparticles. Furthermore, human cells were found to have a greater resistance to the toxic effects of silver nanoparticles in comparison with other organisms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Differential cytotoxic and radiosensitizing effects of silver nanoparticles on triple-negative breast cancer and non-triple-negative breast cells

“…23,40 Although the anticancer activity of AgNPs has been evaluated in several breast cancer cell lines in vitro 5,6 and in vivo, 7 differential effects of AgNPs in TNBC cells as compared to nontumorigenic breast cells have not been shown. Therefore, we evaluated the cytotoxicity of AgNPs in a panel of TNBC cell lines (MDA-MB-231, BT-549, and SUM-159), all of which exhibit features of claudin-low breast cancer, 41 in ER/PR positive, luminal A-like breast cancer cells (MCF-7), in noncancerous, transformed breast cells (MCF-10A), immortalized HMECs (184B5), 42 and in poststasis HMECs.…”

Antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles: A surface science insight

“…Additionally, toxicity issues for humans (systemic and at the cellular level) are topics of primary concern related to Ag NPs, but will not be developed here. We invite the reader to consult pre-existing reviews on the topic [22][23][24][25]. In a first part, we will draw out the possible mechanisms that are thought to be involved in the silver antimicrobial action, and notably the role of soluble silver (+1) species as the effective agent.…”

Antimicrobial potential of green synthesized CeO₂ nanoparticles from <em>Olea europaea</em> leaf extract

“…10 Green synthesized NPs have proven efficiency and comparatively low genotoxic and cytotoxic behavior toward healthy cells, when compared to NPs synthesized by various chemical methods. 32 CeO 2 NPs fabricated by way of chemical methods were also found to be cytotoxic to somatic cells. 25 O. europaea leaf extract also takes part in inhibiting K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa, with ZOI of 8, 7.6, and 7.8 mm, respectively; its potential activity has also been reported in previous studies.…”