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Green Silver Nanoparticles Promote Inflammation Shutdown in Human Leukemic Monocytes
Mariafrancesca Cascione1, Loris Rizzello2,3,4, Daniela Manno1
1Department of Mathematics and Physics "Ennio De Giorgi", University of Salento, Via Arnesano, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 15, 2022
Summary
Green synthesis silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) show reduced inflammatory responses in macrophages compared to conventional Ag NPs. This suggests safer applications for green Ag NPs in biomedicine, maintaining antitumor efficacy without harming healthy cells.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Immunology
Background:
- Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) possess demonstrated anti-cancer properties but their clinical use is limited by potential inflammatory responses.
- The inflammatory potential of Ag NPs is influenced by their synthesis method, with conventional routes often employing toxic reagents.
- Limited research exists on the specific inflammatory pathways activated by different Ag NPs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the inflammatory response of conventionally synthesized Ag NPs versus green synthesized Ag NPs in macrophages.
- To evaluate the impact of Ag NPs on key inflammatory markers like NF-κb, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and COX-2.
- To assess the antitumor activity and safety of green Ag NPs on breast cancer cells and non-tumoral breast cells.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized Ag NPs using conventional (sodium citrate) and green (leaf extract) methods, followed by physicochemical characterization.
- Exposed differentiated Human Leukemic Monocytes (THP-1) macrophages to varying concentrations and time points of both Ag NP types.
- Assessed inflammatory markers including NF-κb activation, IL-6/IL-8 secretion, TNF-α, and COX-2 expression. Evaluated cytotoxicity on MCF-7 (cancer) and MCF-10A (non-tumoral) cell lines.
Main Results:
- Physicochemical characterization confirmed spherical Ag NPs with sizes of 20 nm (conventional) and 35 nm (green).
- Green Ag NPs were well-tolerated by macrophages, showing minimal activation of inflammatory markers (NF-κb, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, COX-2).
- Conventional Ag NPs significantly induced inflammatory responses in macrophages. Green Ag NPs demonstrated antitumor activity against MCF-7 cells and were non-toxic to MCF-10A cells.
Conclusions:
- Green synthesis offers a safer alternative for producing Ag NPs with reduced inflammatory potential compared to conventional methods.
- Green Ag NPs exhibit promising biomedical applications, retaining therapeutic efficacy against cancer cells while demonstrating improved biocompatibility.
- The synthesis route is critical in determining the immunomodulatory effects and overall safety profile of Ag NPs for clinical translation.
