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Abstract
Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) have been increasingly incorporated into food-related and hygiene products for their unique antimicrobial and preservative properties. The consequent oral exposure may then result in unpredicted harmful effects in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), which should be considered in the risk assessment and risk management of these materials. In the present study, the toxic effects of polyethyleneimine (PEI)-coated AgNP (4 and 19 nm) were evaluated in GIT-relevant cells (Caco-2 cell line as a model of human intestinal cells, and neutrophils as a model of the intestinal inflammatory response). This study also evaluated the putative protective action of dietary flavonoids against such harmful effects. The obtained results showed that AgNP of 4 and 19 nm effectively induced Caco-2 cell death by apoptosis with concomitant production of nitric oxide, irrespective of the size. It was also observed that AgNP induced human neutrophil oxidative burst. Interestingly, some flavonoids, namely quercetin and quercetagetin, prevented the deleterious effects of AgNP in both cell types. Overall, the data of the present study provide a first insight into the promising protective role of flavonoids against the potentially toxic effects of AgNP at the intestinal level.
Highlights
The growing developments in the nanoscience and nanotechnology fields have resulted in several consumer products, many of which are routinely used in our daily life
This study showed that PEI-coated AgNP of 4 and 19 nm may alter the intestinal environment through induction of apoptosis with concomitant production of ·NO, irrespective of the size used, and through the stimulation of human neutrophil oxidative burst, being more pronounced in the case of 19 nm AgNP
It showed that AgNP induce the production of reactive species in human neutrophils via PKC activation, with subsequent assembly of NADPH oxidase subunits, resulting in the production of reactive species
Summary
The growing developments in the nanoscience and nanotechnology fields have resulted in several consumer products, many of which are routinely used in our daily life. Among the 1814 products listed in the Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory, 438 (24%) contain silver nanoparticles (AgNP) [1]. Due to their unique antimicrobial properties, AgNP were incorporated in all phases of food production process (processing, packaging and storage). Human dietary intake of AgNP may result in an extensive exposure of the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) to these nanoparticles, raising questions about potentially deleterious health effects at this level [2]. There are several in vitro models mimicking the morphological and functional features of small intestine enterocytes that have been extensively used in nanoparticle toxicity Despite the controversial data on AgNP cytotoxicity, varying from absence of cytotoxicity [3], to time-, size- and dose-dependent cytotoxicity [4,5,6], literature reports that AgNP suspensions release silver ions that may contribute to harmful effects [7,8].
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