Pro-inflammatory effects of silver nanoparticles in the intestine

• Published in: Archives of toxicology Vol. 96; no. 6; pp. 1551 - 1571
• Main Authors: Sousa, Adelaide, Bradshaw, Tracey D., Ribeiro, Daniela, Fernandes, Eduarda, Freitas, Marisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biological properties; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Commercialization; Cytokines; Cytokines - metabolism; Environmental Health; Food industry; Gastrointestinal system; Health hazards; Humans; Inflammation; Intestinal Mucosa - drug effects; Intestinal Mucosa - metabolism; Intestine; Intestines; Literature reviews; Metal Nanoparticles - adverse effects; Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry; Mitochondria; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine; Oxidative stress; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Review Article; Silver; Silver - adverse effects; Silver - chemistry; Transcription factors; Intestinal inflammation; Transcription factors; Cytokines; Immune cells; Reactive species; Silver nanoparticles
• ISSN: 0340-5761; 1432-0738
• DOI: 10.1007/s00204-022-03270-w

Nanotechnology is a promising technology of the twenty-first century, being a rapidly evolving field of research and industrial innovation widely applied in our everyday life. Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are considered the most commercialized nanosystems worldwide, being applied in diverse sectors, from medicine to the food industry. Considering their unique physical, chemical and biological properties, AgNP have gained access into our daily life, with an exponential use in food industry, leading to an increased inevitable human oral exposure. With the growing use of AgNP, several concerns have been raised, in recent years, about their potential hazards to human health, more precisely their pro-inflammatory effects within the gastrointestinal system. Therefore a review of the literature has been undertaken to understand the pro-inflammatory potential of AgNP, after human oral exposure, in the intestine. Despite the paucity of information reported in the literature about this issue, existing studies indicate that AgNP exert a pro-inflammatory action, through generation of oxidative stress, accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction, interference with transcription factors and production of cytokines. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanistic pathways and molecular targets involved in the intestinal pro-inflammatory effects of AgNP.