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Changes in the physical properties of silver nanoparticles in cell culture media mediate cellular toxicity and uptake

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Abstract

Commercially available 10- to 60-nm silver nanoparticles with different surface functional groups were tested for biological activity in different cell lines. Particle uptake and stability were examined in cell culture media to determine the correlation between particle stability, uptake, and cytotoxicity. Trends in rising toxicity with decreasing particle diameter were observed; however, correlations with particle stability or uptake were not observed. The effects of different cell culture media conditions on cellular toxicity were also measured and show a need to better understand how antibiotics, routinely used in cell culture, can transform particle surfaces and how exposure timelines are important to understand how particles that change over time might have different phases of cellular activity over their lifecycles.

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Funding

The authors would like to thank the National Research Council of Canada for supporting and funding this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Metrology Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, K1A 0R6, Canada

    D. C. Kennedy, V. Gies & L. Yang

  2. Human Health and Therapeutics, National Research Council Canada, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, K1A 0R6, Canada

    A. Jezierski

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  1. D. C. Kennedy
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  2. V. Gies
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  3. A. Jezierski
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  4. L. Yang
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Correspondence to D. C. Kennedy.

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Kennedy, D.C., Gies, V., Jezierski, A. et al. Changes in the physical properties of silver nanoparticles in cell culture media mediate cellular toxicity and uptake. J Nanopart Res 21, 132 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-019-4550-1

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