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Thiol-antioxidants interfere with assessing silver nanoparticle cytotoxicity
Luiz A B Ferreira1, Samara Bonesso Dos Reis1, Emanueli do Nascimento da Silva2
1Nano-Cell Interactions Lab., Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Nanomedicine : Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine
|November 25, 2019
Summary
Thiol antioxidants bind to silver nanoparticles (AgNP), preventing cytotoxicity by causing aggregation. This interaction complicates understanding AgNP toxicity mechanisms, highlighting potential pitfalls in nanotoxicity research.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Toxicology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are known to induce oxidative stress, a presumed primary mechanism of their cytotoxicity.
- Studies often use antioxidants to confirm the role of oxidative stress, but the interaction between antioxidants and AgNP is frequently overlooked.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular mechanisms of antioxidant interactions with silver nanoparticles (AgNP).
- To understand how thiol- and non-thiol antioxidants affect AgNP-induced cytotoxicity and cellular responses.
Main Methods:
- Studied molecular interactions between AgNP and thiol antioxidants (N-acetyl-L-Cysteine, L-Cysteine, glutathione) or non-thiol antioxidants (Trolox).
- Assessed reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and cytotoxic effects in Huh-7 hepatocarcinoma cells.
- Analyzed AgNP aggregation in the presence of different antioxidants.
Main Results:
- Both thiol and non-thiol antioxidants mitigated ROS production induced by AgNP in cells.
- Only thiol antioxidants prevented the cytotoxic effects of AgNP.
- Thiol antioxidants directly bound to AgNP, leading to their aggregation, which explained their protective effect.
Conclusions:
- The use of thiol antioxidants in nanotoxicity studies can lead to artifacts due to direct binding and aggregation of nanoparticles.
- Data interpretation regarding AgNP cytotoxicity mechanisms is complicated when using thiol antioxidants.
- These findings reveal potential pitfalls in nanotechnology research, impacting the understanding of nanotoxicity mechanisms.
