Cytotoxicity of metal nanoparticles in brain cell cultures

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NP) have been investigated for their miniscule size and their remarkable to reach specific sites; these materials have been studied to design harmless nano-vectors. However, there are insufficient studies about the effects of the exposure of different NP are able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), over the cells in this tissue. Aim: To determine the cellular toxicity in the presence of three different nanoparticles of metallic origin in brain in vitro. Materials and methods: MTT assay and morphological analysis were performed on cultured glia and neurons after treatment with Silica (NPSiO2), gold-coated with Silicon (NPAu@Si) and silver (NPAg) NP at 10, 50 100 and 250 μg/ml. Results: Cerebral cells were affected in their viability and morphology after treatment with NPAg. NPSiO2 treated cells showed a decrease in their viability but not as severe as with NPAg. For NPAu@Si, a slightly higher resistance was observed even at the highest concentration.