Genotoxicity of silver nanoparticles evaluated using the Ames test and in vitro micronucleus assay

• Published in: Mutation research Vol. 745; no. 1-2; pp. 4 - 10
• Main Authors: Li, Yan, Chen, David H., Yan, Jian, Chen, Ying, Mittelstaedt, Roberta A., Zhang, Yongbin, Biris, Alexandru S., Heflich, Robert H., Chen, Tao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 14.06.2012; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: AMES test; Animals; Antimicrobial agents; Assays; Brain; Cells; Consumer products; Consumers; Data processing; Genotoxicity; Humans; In vitro micronucleus assay; Ionizing radiation; Micronucleus Tests - methods; Mutagenesis; Mutagenicity Tests - methods; Mutant frequency; Mutants; Mutation; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - toxicity; Nanotechnology; Salmonella; Salmonella typhimurium - genetics; Silver; Silver - toxicity; Silver nanoparticles; Toxicity; Ames test; In vitro micronucleus assay; Silver nanoparticles; Genotoxicity
• ISSN: 1383-5718; 0027-5107; 1879-3592
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2011.11.010

► Genotoxicity of AgNPs was assessed using the Ames test and micronucleus assay. ► The AgNPs are negative in the Ames test and positive in the micronucleus assay. ► The micronucleus assay is more appropriate than the Ames test for the evaluation. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have antimicrobial properties, which have contributed to their widespread use in consumer products. A current issue regarding nanomaterials is the extent to which existing genotoxicity assays are useful for evaluating the risks associated with their use. In this study, the genotoxicity of 5nm AgNPs was assessed using two standard genotoxicity assays, the Salmonella reverse mutation assay (Ames test) and the in vitro micronucleus assay. Using the preincubation version of the Ames assay, Salmonella strains TA102, TA100, TA1537, TA98, and TA1535 were treated with 0.15–76.8μg/plate of the AgNPs. Toxicity limited the doses that could be assayed to 2.4–38.4μg/plate; no increases in mutant frequency over the vehicle control were found for the concentrations that could be assayed. Human lymphoblastoid TK6 cells were treated with 10–30μg/ml AgNPs, and additional cells were treated with water and 0.73gy X-rays as vehicle and positive controls. Micronucleus frequency was increased by the AgNP treatment in a dose-dependent manner. At a concentration of 30μg/ml (with 45.4% relative population doubling), AgNPs induced a significant, 3.17-fold increase with a net increase of 1.60% in micronucleus frequency over the vehicle control, a weak positive response by our criteria. These results demonstrate that the 5nm AgNP are genotoxic in TK6 cells. Also, the data suggest that the in vitro micronucleus assay may be more appropriate than the Ames test for evaluating the genotoxicity of the AgNPs.