Cytotoxic Effect And Apoptosis Induction By Silver Nanoparticles In Hela Cells
In this clinical study, published in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications in December 2009, researchers tested silver nanoparticles on HeLa cells (cervical cancer cells) to determine their biological effects.
According to the researchers, “We observed the cytotoxic effect of nanosilver in HeLa cells.” They attributed the cell toxicity of the nanosilver to oxidative stress resulting in apoptosis (i.e., cellular self-destruction). The researchers noted that while the nanosilver’s cytotoxic effect was lower than they’d seen with silver ions, it was nevertheless significant.
[This was not a silver v/s cancer study, per se, as the researchers were actually trying to demonstrate silver’s toxicity to cells in general – a mistaken approach, in my opinion, since previous studies have demonstrated silver’s ability to destroy cancer cells without harming surrounding healthy cells. Therefore, while the study does prove silver to be an effective trigger for the destruction of cervical cancer cells, its relevance to silver’s effect on normal, healthy human cells is certainly debatable.]
