ACUTE EFFECTS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES IN SH-SY5Y CELLS

Abstract

Nanomaterials are appealing and valuable in various fields, as they are engineered to achieve particular physicochemical properties that are specific for their application. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are said to be the most frequently used nanomaterial in consumer products. This study was thus conducted in view of the mounting usage of AgNPs despite little being known about its toxicity and potential impacts on human health. The study examined the acute effects of AgNPs in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Despite a short incubation period of up to six hours, AgNPs exposure led to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in SH-SY5Y cells, causing reduced sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) and calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) expression and function. This subsequently leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, which could be rescued through docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and l-carnitine (LC) co-supplementation. The mechanism underlying AgNPs-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in SH-SY5Y cells was thus elucidated in the present study.