Kim Min Jung, Shin Sehyun
School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea.
School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea; ICT Unit, Anam Medical Center, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2014 May;67:80-6. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2014.02.006. Epub 2014 Feb 15.
Rapid developments in the food applications of silver nanomaterials (Ag-NMs) have resulted in concerns related to the risk of overexposure of human blood. We investigated the effect of size and aspect ratio of Ag-NMs on rheological characteristics of human erythrocytes, including hemolysis, deformability, aggregation, and morphological changes. Red blood cells (RBCs) were exposed to two different sizes of spherical particles (d∼30 nm or 100 nm) or nanowires (d∼40 nm, l-2 μm in length) at a range of concentrations and incubation times. The concentrations of Ag-NMs were carefully chosen to avoid any hemorheological alteration due to hemolysis. Rheological properties were measured using microfluidic-laser diffractometry and aggregometry. RBC deformability apparently decreased after treatment with a low concentration of Ag-NPs for a short exposure time. However, RBC aggregation was significantly altered after treatment with a low concentration of either Ag-NWs or large Ag-NPs compared to small Ag-NPs. Additional experiments with Ag ions confirmed that the observed rheological changes were mainly caused by the Ag-NMs rather than the Ag ions. These hemorheological findings provide a better understanding of the interaction between RBCs and Ag-NMs and will help in assessing the risk of nanomaterial toxicity in blood.
银纳米材料（Ag-NMs）在食品应用中的快速发展引发了人们对人类血液过度暴露风险的担忧。我们研究了Ag-NMs的尺寸和纵横比对人类红细胞流变学特性的影响，包括溶血、变形性、聚集和形态变化。将红细胞（RBCs）暴露于两种不同尺寸的球形颗粒（直径约30 nm或100 nm）或纳米线（直径约40 nm，长度为2μm），浓度和孵育时间范围不同。精心选择Ag-NMs的浓度，以避免因溶血导致任何血液流变学改变。使用微流控激光衍射法和聚集测定法测量流变学特性。在短时间暴露于低浓度Ag-NPs后，RBC变形性明显降低。然而，与小尺寸Ag-NPs相比，在低浓度的Ag-NWs或大尺寸Ag-NPs处理后，RBC聚集发生了显著变化。用Ag离子进行的额外实验证实，观察到的流变学变化主要由Ag-NMs而非Ag离子引起。这些血液流变学研究结果有助于更好地理解RBCs与Ag-NMs之间的相互作用，并将有助于评估纳米材料在血液中的毒性风险。
