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Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are considered a promising alternative to the use of antibiotics in fighting multidrug-resistant pathogens. However, their use in medical application is hindered by the public concern regarding the toxicity of metallic nanoparticles. In this study, rationally designed AgNP were produced, in order to balance the antibacterial activity and toxicity. A facile, environmentally friendly synthesis was used for the electrochemical fabrication of AgNPs. Chitosan was employed as the capping agent, both for the stabilization and to improve the biocompatibility. Size, morphology, composition, capping layer, and stability of the synthesized nanoparticles were characterized. The in vitro biocompatibility and antimicrobial activities of AgNPs against common Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were evaluated. The results revealed that chitosan-stabilized AgNPs were nontoxic to normal fibroblasts, even at high concentrations, compared to bare nanoparticles, while significant antibacterial activity was recorded. The silver colloidal dispersion was further mixed with essential oils (EO) to increase the biological activity. Synergistic effects at some AgNP⁻EO ratios were observed, as demonstrated by the fractionary inhibitory concentration values. Our results reveal that the synergistic action of both polymer-stabilized AgNPs and essential oils could provide a significant efficiency against a large variety of microorganisms, with minimal side effects.

Although the research on nanogels incorporating Gd chelates for theranostic applications has grown exponentially in recent years, knowledge about their biocompatibility is limited. We compared the biocompatibility of Gd-loaded hyaluronic acid-chitosan-based nanogels (GdCA⊂CS-TPP/HA) with two chitosan concentrations (2.5 and 1.5 mg·mL -1 respectively) using SVEC4-10 murine lymph node endothelial cells. The sulforhodamine B method and released lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were used as cell viability tests. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured by spectrophotometric and fluorimetric methods. Nrf-2 protein expression was evaluated by Western blot analysis and genotoxicity by alkaline comet assay. After 24 h, the cells viability was not affected by all types and doses of nanogels. The increase of ROS induced a low decrease of GSH concentration and a time-dependent raise of MDA one was produced by citric GdDOTA⊂CS-TPP/HA with a chitosan concentration of 1.5 mg·mL -1 , at the highest dose applied. None of the tested nanogels induced changes in Nrf-2 protein expression. A slight but significant genotoxic effect was caused only by citric GdDOTA⊂CS-TPP/HA where CS concentration was 1.5 mg·mL -1 . Our results showed a better biocompatibility with lymph node endothelial cells for Gd-loaded hyaluronic acid-chitosan based nanogels with a concentration in chitosan of 2.5 mg·mL -1 ., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.