Silver ion toxicity in commercial colloidal silver: molecular insights from high-content imaging in Huh-7 cells
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Colloidal silver is marketed as a dietary supplement, despite lacking essential mineral properties, scientific health benefits and potential toxicity. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effects of two commercially available colloidal silver formulations, Almacura (AL) and Prata Vida (PV), on the human hepatoma cell line Huh-7. We determined the IC50 values for the AL formulation as 0.69 µg/mL (cell viability by MTT assay), 0.79 µg/mL (cell count via PI/Hoechst nuclear staining), and 0.93 µg/mL (membrane integrity by PI uptake assay). Similarly, the IC50 values for the PV formulation were 0.62 µg/mL (cell viability by MTT assay), 0.86 µg/mL (cell count via PI/Hoechst nuclear staining), and 1.02 µg/mL (membrane integrity by PI uptake assay). We also examined the contributions of the supernatant, enriched in Ag+ ions, and the pellet, mainly composed of AgNPs, to cytotoxicity. Using the MTT assay, we found IC50 values of 0.80 µg/mL for AL and 0.85 µg/mL for PV, indicating that the supernatant is the primary driver of the observed cytotoxicity. High-content imaging (HCI) was performed using the Live Cell Painting assay to evaluate dose-response effects, revealing that both formulations showed cellular changes at lower concentrations compared to MTT assays. In conclusion, this study raises important concerns regarding the safety of commercial colloidal silver, highlighting the need for regulatory standards that consider nanoparticle characteristics and their biological interactions.
Source: Nanotoxicology
Authors: Bruno L. Menna, Mila Simić, Ljubica Tasic, Marielton dos Passos Cunha, Marcelo B. de Jesus
Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funders: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Fundo de Apoio ao Ensino, à Pesquisa e Extensão, Universidade Estadual de Campinas
OpenAlex ID: W4415439406