Original Article
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World J Biol Chem. Nov 26, 2014; 5(4): 457-464
Published online Nov 26, 2014. doi: 10.4331/wjbc.v5.i4.457
Short- and long-term effects of silver nanoparticles on human microvascular endothelial cells
Sara Castiglioni, Clelia Caspani, Alessandra Cazzaniga, Jeanette AM Maier
Sara Castiglioni, Clelia Caspani, Alessandra Cazzaniga, Jeanette AM Maier, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Cliniche Luigi Sacco, Università di Milano, Milano 20157, Italy
Author contributions: Castiglioni S and Maier JAM conceived and designed the experiments; Castiglioni S, Caspani C and Cazzaniga A performed the experiments, analyzed the data; Maier JAM wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Jeanette AM Maier, MD, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Cliniche Luigi Sacco, Università di Milano, Via GB Grassi, 74, Milano 20157, Italy. jeanette.maier@unimi.it
Telephone: +39-2-50319648 Fax: +39-2-50319659
Received: June 27, 2014
Revised: August 1, 2014
Accepted: September 6, 2014
Published online: November 26, 2014
Processing time: 157 Days and 17.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: We studied the sensitivity to silver nanoparticles of microvascular endothelial cells, which are responsible for tissue homeostasis and fundamental in angiogenesis. Silver nanoparticles are cytotoxic and lead to membrane leakage. Cytotoxicity is not prevented by the antioxidants Trolox, N-acetyl-L-cysteine or apocynin. Silver nanoparticles also induce DNA damage as demonstrated by comet assay. When exposed to sublethal concentrations of silver nanoparticles for long times, the cells remain viable but are growth retarded. Interestingly, removal of silver nanoparticle rescue cell growth, suggesting that no permanent modifications occur. Silver nanoparticles are cytotoxic and genotoxic also for endothelial progenitors, which contribute to angiogenesis.