Influence of silver nanoparticles on osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have been widely used in bone grafts due to their antimicrobial/antiviral properties. Despite extensive research focused on the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of Ag NPs, little is known of their effect on cell differentiation. In this study, the uptake of Ag NPs and its effect on the osteogenic differentiation of human mensenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were investigated in vitro. Ag NPs with a diameter of -30 nm were prepared. The hMSCs were exposed to different concentrations of Ag NPs, i.e., 0, 10, 50 and 100 microg/mL. The results show that Ag NPs cause cytotoxicity of hMSCs. It is also demonstrated that the uptake of Ag NPs does not affect the alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin gene expression, osteopontin expression and mineralization level of hMSCs. The uptake of Ag NPs does not influence the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. This will give a positive reference for the application of Ag NPs in bone tissue engineering, especially their incorporation with stem cells in bone grafts.