Toxicity of Nanosilver on Osteoblast Cancerous Cell Line
According to the authors of this study, published in the journal International Nano Letters (January 2011), nanosilver exhibited “broad spectrum inhibition” against the cancer cell line studied.
The authors state, “Many attempts have been made to use silver nanoparticles as an anti-cancer agent and they have all turned up positive…The purpose of this study was to assess the biological assay of nanosilver (Nanocid®) on osteoblast (G292) cancerous cell line. The effect of nanosilver on these cells was evaluated by light microscopy, and by cell proliferation and standard cytotoxicity assays. The results demonstrate a concentration-dependent toxicity for the cell tested, and IC50 was determined 3.42 µg/mL, suggest(ing) that the product is more toxic to cancerous cells compared to other heavy metal ions.” In other words, only 3.42 ppm nanosilver was necessary in order to cause 50% of the cancer cells to die. (The study demonstrated that higher concentrations of nanosilver caused an even greater percentage of cell death.)
The authors concluded, “In general, silver nanoparticles should serve as one of the best ways of treating diseases that involve cell proliferation and cell death.”
