Comparative safety analysis of bactericidal nano-colloids: Assessment of potential functional toxicity and radical scavenging action

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2019 Dec 1:184:110508. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.110508. Epub 2019 Sep 16.

Abstract

Extensive utilization of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) has raised concerns of their safety profile upon interaction with biological system. In past decade, various nanoparticles (NPs) with excellent antimicrobial potential have been synthesized, a majority of which have struggled with the established toxicity in biological systems. The NPs safety is still a hot debate and various strategies are being adopted to overcome this giant limitation. This paper successfully reports comparative toxicity profiles of previously synthesized antimicrobial NPs in our lab and concludes the effectiveness of biologically synthesized NPs for its safe usage in biological systems. In this study, five of our previously synthesized NPs that showed excellent antimicrobial potential were compared for their in vivo toxicity and corresponding radical scavenging activities. Based on lowest morbidity, mortality, weight loss, toxicity and agglomeration profile, best NPs with highest antimicrobial potentials were screened out and used for further biomedical applications. The previously reported NPs used in this study included Aerva javanica synthesized nanoparticles (AjNPs), Heliotropium crispium synthesized nanoparticles (HcNPs), and violacein capped nanoparticles (VNPs), these showed least toxicity upon in vivo histological analysis. AjNPs among them showed maximum safety and efficacy profile and consistently showed least production of reactive oxygen species, least mortality and morbidity rate as compared to other groups. Present study establishes that all these biologically synthesized NPs and specifically AjNPs can be efficiently employed as antimicrobial agents as they have not exhibited toxic profile and have shown least accumulation into the organs such as liver spleen and kidney.

Keywords: Antioxidant activity; Histopathology; In vivo toxicity; Nanoparticles; Reactive oxygen species; Toxicity.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / analysis
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / metabolism
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / toxicity*
  • Colloids / analysis
  • Colloids / metabolism
  • Colloids / toxicity
  • Free Radical Scavengers / analysis
  • Free Radical Scavengers / metabolism
  • Free Radical Scavengers / toxicity*
  • Kidney / drug effects
  • Kidney / pathology
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Liver / pathology
  • Metal Nanoparticles / analysis
  • Metal Nanoparticles / toxicity*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Particle Size
  • Silver / analysis
  • Silver / metabolism
  • Silver / toxicity*
  • Spleen / drug effects
  • Spleen / pathology
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Colloids
  • Free Radical Scavengers
  • Silver