Silver Nanoparticles: Anti-Bacterial and in vitro Cytotoxic Activity
In this clinical study, published in the International Journal of Biological, Ecological and Environmental Sciences in 2013, researchers “aimed to evaluate the anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties of the silver nanoparticles synthesized using the macro algae-Gelidiella sp.”
Using colon cancer cells (HT29), the authors found remarkable anti-cancer activity when the silver nanoparticles were applied. According to the study authors, “The potency of silver nanoparticles to inhibit the cancerous growth was recorded in terms of decrease in viable cell count as compared to the control value. The inhibition of the growth of the human colon cell line (HT 29) has been found to be dose dependent…” Using concentrations ranging from a high of 1,000 ppm to a low of 3.90 ppm, the researchers found that “the presence of 31.25 ppm of silver nanoparticles significantly inhibited the cancer cell line’s growth.”