Ingestion Of Colloidal Silver Research Articles

Ocular Argyrosis Secondary to Long-term Ingestion of Self-Concocted Silver Colloidal Solution

Colloidal silver has traditionally been promoted as a cure-all for various ailments and has recently made a comeback as alternative medicine in the protection against and treatment of conditions including COVID-19. Long-term ingestion of colloidal silver can result in the buildup of silver in bodily tissues over months and years and lead to ocular argyrosis and other pathological changes. We describe a case of a 75-year-old Caucasian man who presented with a history of chronic ingestion of his own concoction of colloidal silver. Ocular examination revealed the initial presence of bilateral early drusenoid changes within the macula, confirmed with optical coherence tomography. This report seeks to bring more awareness to the clinical manifestations and current research of this rare condition.

Argyria secondary to ingestion of colloidal silver

Argyria is blue-grey hyperpigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes as a result of prolonged ingestion or contact with silver-containing compounds. It is often considered an entity of the past, one that has largely disappeared with the cessation of silver usage in oral medications. However, with the practice of colloidal silver ingestion in current ‘alternative health’ treatments, argyria should be considered in the differential diagnosis of blue-grey hyperpigmentation. We report a case of 68-year-old man who presented with pulmonary embolism and was noted to have an incidental blue skin discolouration. Histopathological examination of skin biopsy, which showed minute yellow black granules around pilosebaceous units and sweat ducts in the papillary dermis, verified that colloidal silver was the source of the patient’s hyperpigmentation.

Skeletal Dysmorphology in Fetus Following Colloidal Silver Ingestion in Pregnant Swiss Albino Mice

Among all nanoparticles Silver nanoparticle is important because of its antifungal amp antimicrobial activity and also known to be anti inflammatory and wound healer Silver nanoparticle is a strong bactericidal agent as it cleaves silver ion of atomic valency one inside the bacterial cell Silver nanoparticle in moderate manner causes neurotoxicity skeletal dysmorphogenesis and embryo teratogenicity in in vitro position of model mouse to nm size silver nanoparticles in colloidal solution was given in dose mg kg b w respectively to randomly chosen mother mice from the colony by oral gavages from th to th day of gestational age The control group mother received normal saline Fetuses were collected on day th of gestation Alizarin staining was done to evaluate the skeletal dysmorphology The common skeletal dysmorphology seen were unossification of sternum frontal bone parietal bone temporal bone mandible maxilla vertebral column scapulae and ribs along with those cleft scoliosis spina bifida and hypoplasia was also seen nbsp

Silver-resistance, allergy, and blue skin: Truth or urban legend?

Medical and non-medical uses of silver are increasing. While the health benefits of silver therapy are widely claimed, few studies address the possible side effects of resistance, allergy, or skin discoloration. In this manuscript, a review of silver absorption, mechanism of action, allergy, microbial resistance and skin changes is presented.The ideal silver-delivery system is unknown. Most studies of side effects are animal or laboratory studies, which may not correlate with human experience. There is little correlation between serum silver levels, end-organ deposition and cytotoxic effects. The multiple mechanisms of antimicrobial action make true resistance unlikely. In microbes, genotypic resistance does not necessarily confer phenotypic resistance. Most cases of argyria occur from occupational exposure or from ingestion of colloidal silver rather than from topical application.Although toxicity, resistance and chronic skin changes are a theoretic concern, the lack of reported side effects despite widespread silver use is reassuring.

Argyria resulting from chronic use of colloidal silver in a patient presenting for colonoscopy.

An elderly male with a history of argyria caused by chronic ingestion of colloidal silver presented for elective colonoscopy. The patient's skin was a profound blue-gray color that caused concern among staff until his condition was identified through his medical and medication history. Colonoscopy and anesthesia proceeded without incident. The anesthetic management concerns include differentiating argyria from hypoxemia and other pathologies with similar appearance and clearly communicating the patient's history of argyria to follow-on caregivers to prevent unneeded diagnostic or interventional procedures. It is also important for caregivers to understand that the altered skin pigmentation of argyria does not interfere with pulse oximetry.

Optical Coherence Tomography Findings in Ocular Argyrosis

A 68-year-old Caucasian man with a remote history of daily colloidal silver ingestion presented for ophthalmic examination in which he was noted to have a distinct slate gray skin discoloration. Funduscopy revealed confluent perimacular drusenoid deposits bilaterally, most of which localized at the level of or anterior to the inner segment ellipsoid band by optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. Enhanced depth imaging OCT demonstrated marked choroidal thinning. Fluorescein angiogram displayed a dark or silent choroid. Confirmatory serum silver levels were found to be markedly elevated. This report describes a unique geographic maculopathy with large drusenoid deposits anterior to the ellipsoid layer and severe choroidal thinning in association with ocular argyrosis. [ Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2013;44:E20–E22.]

Silver Woman and Silver Man after Ingestion of Silver Solution: How about Silver Mouse?

Dear Editor: Argyria is a rare skin disease caused by deposition of silver granules due to exposure by the ingestion of colloidal silver in dietary supplements, drugs, or topical silver-containing preparations1-3. Herein, we present two cases of argyria by drinking silver solution and an animal study with feeding mice using the same solution1. In the first case, a 24-year-old woman presented with a bluish to grayish discoloration on her face and nails that had been ongoing for 1 year (Fig. 1A). She had been taking approximately 1.5 L/d of silver solution made by commercial silver solution generator that was purchased with intent of whitening her skin. Oral mucosa, tongue, and conjunctiva were spared. The silver concentration in her serum, urine, and skin, as determined by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry that was performed at the Thermo Jarrell Ash Co. The patient's silver concentration levels were 74.6 ng/ml in her serum, 9.5 ng/ml in her urine, and 24.1 µg/ml in her skin, (reference values <15 ng/ml in serum, <1 ng/ml in urine). A light microscopic examination of a punch biopsy specimen taken from the patient's back showed multiple small, round, brown-black granules deposited in basement membrane surrounding eccrine and sebaceous glands (Fig. 2A~C). In addition, her mother who had also lived with her and taken the solution, showed similar cutaneous manifestations, but refused to undergo further evaluation. Fig. 1 Diffuse blue-gray pigmentation of the faces of Patient 1 (A) and 2 (B) as compared with the hand of a healthy individual. Fig. 2 Biopsy specimens of the patients (patient 1: A~C, patient 2: D~F): Numerous, tiny dark granules (arrows) deposited in the peri-adnexal areas (HE B, E: ×400) and multiple black granules near the basement membrane of ... In case 2, a 51-year-old man visited our department complaining of progressive grayish pigmentation on face and trunk (Fig. 1B). A detailed history determined that he had ingested a silver solution for a year as a health food supplement. The silver levels in his serum, urine, and skin were elevated (127.7 ng/ml, 31.4 ng/ml and 35.8 µg/ml, respectively). A histopathologic examination from his chin revealed numerous tiny dark black granules near eccrine gland, hair follicles, periadnexal areas, and pilosebaceous units (Fig. 2D~F). The hallmark of systemic silver toxicity is a slate-gray, metallic skin discoloration. Having views on these 2 cases, we designed a preliminary study using a mouse model. To establish the relationship between duration and amount of silver, we electrolyzed distilled water using a silver anode to produce solution containing the colloidal silver oxide. As the patients had done, we fed 5 Balb/c mice about 15~30 ml of the silver solution per week and one mouse was fed distilled water as a control for 2 months. Biopsies were performed on skin, brain, kidneys, livers, lungs, and ovaries from the 2 mice. However, no silver granules were detected in any organ, and the levels were not higher than in naive controls. Our presumption is the differences in metabolism between rodents and humans, or by an insufficiency of silver-containing supplement related with a dose-dependent impact4,5. Although we failed to devise a murine model, this study implies that cutaneous features were just not by genetic susceptibility, but a result of exposure to a soluble silver compound. Accordingly, we caution against the ingestion of silver solutions, which are widely used as a health supplement in Korea.

Colloidal silver ingestion with copper and caeruloplasmin deficiency

The copper concentration in serum can be affected by the presence of other trace elements such as silver. Low serum copper may result in decreased caeruloplasmin synthesis. We report the case of a 59-year-old woman, who was admitted to hospital with acute psychosis and who had been ingesting chronically, colloidal silver.

A Case of Argyria Following Colloidal Silver Ingestion

Argyria is a rare cutaneous discoloration caused by the intake of silver or various compounds containing silver. We report a case of argyria in a 73-year-old male following ingestion of colloidal silver as an alternative medicine over 5 years. He had a diffuse, slate gray discoloration of his face and hands. A biopsy specimen from the face revealed brown-black extracellular granules in the upper dermis and between collagen bundles. We also found silver particles in the mucous of the colon. The ingestion of colloidal silver appears to be increasing among patients using alternative health practices. We report this case to bring people's attention to the problems associated with the ingestion of colloidal silver.

A case of generalized argyria after ingestion of colloidal silver solution

A 58-year-old woman was referred to our hospital due to progressive skin darkening, which began 5 months previously. The patient had strikingly diffuse blue-gray discoloration of the skin, most prominent in sun-exposed areas, especially her face and hands. The oral mucosa, tongue, gums, eye conjunctiva, ears, nail beds, and trunk were also involved. Bluish-gray discoloration of all nails was aggravated by cold weather. She had ingested 1 L of colloidal silver solution daily for approximately 16 months as a traditional remedy. Her serum silver concentration was 381 ng/ml which was a very high (reference level: <15 ng/ml). Light microscopic examination of a punch biopsy specimen from her nose revealed fine, minute, round, and brown-black granules deposited in the basement membrane of hair follicular epithelium. Scanning electron microscopic examination showed electron-dense granules deposited in the intercellular space of sweat glands. Energy disperse X-ray spectrometry analysis demonstrated peaks for silver and sulfur in the dense black deposits. The ingestion of colloidal silver appears to be an increasing practice among patients using alternative health practices. All silver-containing products including colloidal silver should be labeled with a clear warning to prevent argyria, especially in alternative health practices.

Blue lunulae: Argyria and hypercopprecaemia

A 42-year-old woman presented with blue lunulae in association with argyria and hypercopprecaemia. The argyria was caused by the regular ingestion of colloidal silver in water over an extended period of time. The raised copper may have contributed to the nail discolouration, and was believed to be due either to ingestion of copper-containing multivitamin tablets or as an acute-phase reactant. We believe that the ease of access to, and lack of stringent regulatory controls over, food supplements and alternative medicines may cause similar cases in the future. We therefore recommend that all patients should be routinely questioned on their use of over-the-counter preparations and alternative medicines.

A case of argyria after colloidal silver ingestion

Argyria is often considered an entity of the past, one which has largely disappeared with the cessation of silver usage in oral medications. However, with the practice of colloidal silver ingestion in current "alternative health" treatments, argyria should be considered in the differential diagnosis of blue-gray hyperpigmentation. A single case report with clinicopathological correlation. Histological examination of skin biopsy specimen, which showed perieccrine brown-black granules, verified that colloidal silver rather than a prescribed medication was the source of the patient's dyspigmentation.

Systemic argyria associated with ingestion of colloidal silver

Systemic argyria associated with ingestion of colloidal silver

Uptake of Particulate Matter By the Epidermis of the Freshwater Snail Lymnaea Stagnalis

The ingestion of particulate matter from the external medium by the epidermis of the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis was studied at the ultrastructural level. Ferritin particles were found to be readily absorbed by the cells of the dorsal head epidermis and the inner mantle epithelium within two min exposure to a solution of colloidal ferritin. The ingested particles enter the lysosomal system and apparently end up in the inert residual bodies. Very little ferritin was absorbed by the outer mantle epithelium. There was no evidence for ingestion of colloidal silver even when the snails were exposed to a colloidal silver suspension for 18 hrs. Histochemical tests for acid phosphatase, an indicator of lysosomal activity, were performed for examination with both the light and electron microscope. Intense activity was found in the dorsal head epidermis and the inner mantle epithelium. Only a moderate reaction was found in the outer mantle epithelium. The reaction products were localized primarily in the lysosomes and the Golgi bodies in the supranuclear region of the epidermal cells. These results suggest that the epidermal cells of L. stagnalis absorb particulate matter from the external medium by pinocytosis and digest this material within the lysosomal system. This absorption might play a role in the nutritional economy of the snails.