title: Toxic effects of silver nanoparticles and nanowires on erythrocyte rheology.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Min Jung
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 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. Electronic address: lexerdshin@korea.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Sehyun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shin
mesh_terms: D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000633:toxicity*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053770:Nanowires; D012212:Rheology; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012834:Silver
keywords: Blood; Deformability; Hemorheology; Silver nanoparticles; Silver nanowires; Toxicology