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Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used in industrial, cosmetic, and biomedical products, and humans are frequently exposed to these products through the skin. It is widely recognized that the characteristics of AgNPs (e.g., size, coating) may influence their cytotoxic effects, but their correlation with DNA damage and mitotic disorders remains poorly explored. In this study, human keratinocytes (HaCaT cell line) were exposed to well-characterized 30 nm AgNPs coated with citrate, and their effects on viability, DNA fragmentation (assessed by the comet assay), and micronuclei (MNi) induction (assessed by the cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assays, CBMN) were investigated. The results showed that 10 and 40 μg/mL AgNPs decreased cell proliferation and viability, and induced a significant genetic damage. This was observed by an increase of DNA amount in comet tail, which linearly correlated with dose and time of exposure. Also, cytostaticity (increase of mononucleated cells) and MNi rates increased in treated cells. In contrast, no significant changes were observed in nucleoplasmatic bridges (NPBs) or nuclear buds (NBUDs), although NBUDs tended to increase in all conditions and periods. The cytostatic effects on HaCaT cells were also shown by the decrease of their nuclear division index. Thus, both comet and CBMN assays supported the observation that citrate-AgNPs induced genotoxic effects on HaCaT cells. Considering that AgNPs are present in a vast number of consumer products and also in multiple nanomedicine skin applications and formulations, more research is needed to determine the properties that confer less toxicity of AgNPs to different cell lines.

The antibacterial potential of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) resulted in their increasing incorporation into consumer, industrial and biomedical products. Therefore, human and environmental exposure to AgNPs (either as an engineered product or a contaminant) supports the emergent research on the features conferring them different toxicity profiles. In this study, 30nm AgNPs coated with citrate or poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were used to assess the influence of coating on the effects produced on a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2), namely in terms of viability, apoptosis, apoptotic related genes, cell cycle and cyclins gene expression. Both types of coated AgNPs decreased cell proliferation and viability with a similar toxicity profile. At the concentrations used (11 and 5μg/mL corresponding to IC50 and ~IC10 levels, respectively) the amount of cells undergoing apoptosis was not significant and the apoptotic related genes BCL2 (anti-apoptotic gene) and BAX (pro-apoptotic gene) were both downregulated. Moreover, both AgNPs affected HepG2 cell cycle progression at the higher concentration (11μg/mL) by increasing the percentage of cells in S (synthesis phase) and G2 (Gap 2 phase) phases. Considering the cell-cycle related genes, the expression of cyclin B1 and cyclin E1 genes were decreased. Thus, this work has shown that citrate- and PEG-coated AgNPs impact on HepG2 apoptotic gene expression, cell cycle dynamics and cyclin regulation in a similar way. More research is needed to determine the properties that confer AgNPs at lower toxicity, since their use has proved helpful in several industrial and biomedical contexts., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The widespread use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is accompanied by a growing concern regarding their potential risks to human health, thus calling for an increased understanding of their biological effects. The aim of this work was to systematically study the extent to which changes in cellular metabolism were dependent on the properties of AgNPs, using NMR metabolomics. Human skin keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) were exposed to citrate-coated AgNPs of 10, 30 or 60 nm diameter and to 30 nm AgNPs coated either with citrate (CIT), polyethylene glycol (PEG) or bovine serum albumin (BSA), to assess the influence of NP size and surface chemistry. Overall, CIT-coated 60 nm and PEG-coated 30 nm AgNPs had the least impact on cell viability and metabolism. The role of ionic silver and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated effects was also studied, in comparison to CIT-coated 30 nm particles. At concentrations causing an equivalent decrease in cell viability, Ag(+ )ions produced a change in the metabolic profile that was remarkably similar to that seen for AgNPs, the main difference being the lesser impact on the Krebs cycle and energy metabolism. Finally, this study newly reported that while down-regulated glycolysis and disruption of energy production were common to AgNPs and H2O2, the impact on some metabolic pathways (GSH synthesis, glutaminolysis and the Krebs cycle) was independent of ROS-mediated mechanisms. In conclusion, this study shows the ability of NMR metabolomics to define subtle biochemical changes induced by AgNPs and demonstrates the potential of this approach for rapid, untargeted screening of pre-clinical toxicity of nanomaterials in general.

Surface coating of silver nanoparticles may influence their toxicity, in a way yet to decipher. In this study, human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) were exposed for 24 and 48h to well-characterized 30nm AgNPs coated either with citrate (Cit30 AgNPs) or with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG30 AgNPs), and assessed for cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS), cytokine release, apoptosis and cell cycle dynamics. The results showed that Cit30 AgNPs and PEG30 AgNPs decreased cell proliferation and viability, the former being more cytotoxic. The coating molecules per se were not cytotoxic. Moreover, Ag(+) release and ROS production were similar for both AgNP types. Cit30 AgNPs clearly induced apoptotic death, while cells exposed to PEG30 AgNPs appeared to be at an earlier phase of apoptosis, supported by changes in BAX, BCL2 and CASP-3 expressions. Concerning the impact on cell cycle dynamics, both Cit30 and PEG30 AgNPs affected cell cycle regulation of HaCaT cells, but, again, citrate-coating induced more drastic effects, showing earlier downregulation of cyclin B1 gene and cellular arrest at the G2 phase. Overall, this study has shown that the surface coating of AgNPs influences their toxicity by differently regulating cell-cycle and cell death mechanisms., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Due to their antimicrobial properties, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly incorporated into consumer goods and medical products. Their potential toxicity to human cells is however a major concern, and there is a need for improved understanding of their effects on cell metabolism and function. Here, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) metabolomics was used to investigate the metabolic profile of human epidermis keratinocytes (HaCaT cell line) exposed for 48 h to 30 nm citrate-stabilized spherical AgNPs (10 and 40 μg/mL). Intracellular aqueous extracts, organic extracts and extracellular culture medium were analysed to provide an integrated view of the cellular metabolic response. The specific metabolite variations, highlighted through multivariate analysis and confirmed by spectral integration, suggested that HaCaT cells exposed to AgNPs displayed upregulated glutathione-based antioxidant protection, increased glutaminolysis, downregulated tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity, energy depletion and cell membrane modification. Importantly, most metabolic changes were apparent in cells exposed to a concentration of AgNPs which did not affect cell viability at significant levels, thus underlying the sensitivity of NMR metabolomics to detect early biochemical events, even in the absence of a clear cytotoxic response. It can be concluded that NMR metabolomics is an important new tool in the field of in vitro nanotoxicology., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)