[Toxicological evaluation of nanosized colloidal silver, stabilized with polyvinylpyrrolidone. I. Characterization of nanomaterial, integral, hematological parameters, level of thiol compounds and liver cell apoptosis].

Nano-sized colloidal silver (NCS) is currently one of the most widely used nanomaterials in medicine and consumer’s products. Nanoparticles (NPs) of silver, in addition to the direct exposition through products may expose human via various environmental objects. The aim of the study is to assess the safe doses of silver NP received orally. The investigated NCS contained silver NPs with diameter of 10–60 nm, predominantly with a nearly spherical form stabilized with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The experiment was performed during 92 days in 5 groups of male Wistar rats (n=15 in each group), receiving a balanced semisynthetic diet. Animal of group 1 (control) received vehicle (deionized water) intragastrically for 30 days and then with food, groups from 2nd to 4th – PVP and groups from 3rd to 5th NCS, in doses respectively, 0.1; 1.0 and 10 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) in terms of silver. The dose of PVP in groups from 2nd to 5th did not differ, amounting to 200 mg/kg b.w. During the experiment, the weight gain, skin condition, activity, stool, cognitive function were assessed. At the end of the feeding period weight of internal organs, intestinal wall permeability to protein macromolecules, liver thiols, standard values of blood erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets, hepatocyte apoptosis by flow cytometry were studied. These results suggest that in terms of weight gain, lung relative mass, average erythrocyte volume, hemoglobin content and concentration in erythrocytes, the relative proportion of lymphocytes and neutrophils adverse changes have been observed at a dose of 10 mg NPs per kg of b.w. At lower levels of exposure (0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg b.w.) some specific changes were also observed (in terms of thiols pool in liver, cognitive function, relative abundance of monocytes, the number of dead hepatocytes), which, however, did not possess an unambiguous dependence on the dose. Possible mechanisms of the toxic action of the NCS have been discussed.