Silver Nanoparticles Impregnated Alginate-Chitosan-Blended Nanocarrier Induces Apoptosis In Human Glioblastoma Cells
In this clinical study, published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials in January 2014, researchers coated silver nanoparticles with an alginate/chitosan blend, and then treated human glioblastoma (i.e., malignant brain cancer) cells with them. Using a concentration of 24 ppm silver nanoparticles, the researchers witnessed an “anticell proliferative effect,” meaning, of course, that the brain cancer cells were no longer able to multiply.
The researchers noted extensive DNA damage to the cancer cells, followed by apoptosis (cellular self-destruction), which they attributed to an elevation in reactive oxygen species caused by the silver. The researchers concluded that being able to use their specially prepared silver nanoparticles at such low doses “makes it a promising tool for cancer therapy.”
