title: Characterization of silver particles in the stratum corneum of healthy subjects and atopic dermatitis patients dermally exposed to a silver-containing garment.
abstract: Silver is increasingly being used in garments to exploit its antibacterial properties. Information on the presence of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in garments and their in vivo penetration across healthy and impaired skin from use is limited. We investigated the presence of AgNPs in a silver containing garment and in the stratum corneum (SC) of healthy subjects (CTRLs) and individuals with atopic dermatitis (AD). Seven CTRLs and seven AD patients wore a silver sleeve (13% Ag w/w) 8 h/day for five days on a forearm and a placebo sleeve on the other forearm. After five days, the layers of the SC were collected by adhesive tapes. The silver particles in the garment and SC were characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM and SEM revealed the presence of sub-micrometre particles having a broad range of sizes (30-500 nm) on the surface of the garment that were identified as silver. On the SC tapes collected from different depths, aggregates with a wide range of sizes (150 nm-2 μm) and morphologies were found. Most aggregates contained primarily silver, although some also contained chlorine and sulfur. There was no clear difference in the number or size of the aggregates observed in SC between healthy and AD subjects. After use, AgNPs and their aggregates were present in the SC at different depths of both healthy subjects and AD patients. Their micrometre size suggests that aggregation likely occurred in the SC.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Trieste , Trieste , Italy.
authors.forename: Carlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.affiliation: b Academic Medical Center, Coronel Institute of Occupational Health, University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Maaike J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.affiliation: b Academic Medical Center, Coronel Institute of Occupational Health, University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Olivier A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Pluut
authors.affiliation: c Division for Marine and Environmental Research , Laboratory for Bioelectrochemistry and Surface Imaging, Ruđer Bošković Institute , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Svetličić
authors.affiliation: c Division for Marine and Environmental Research , Laboratory for Bioelectrochemistry and Surface Imaging, Ruđer Bošković Institute , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Galja
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pletikapić
authors.affiliation: d Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Laboratory for Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Ivone
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jakasa
authors.affiliation: e Serend-ip GmbH , Munster , Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Riethmuller
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Trieste , Trieste , Italy.
authors.forename: Gianpiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adami
authors.affiliation: f Department of Medical Sciences, Unit of Occupational Medicine , University of Trieste , Trieste , Italy , and.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Larese Filon
authors.affiliation: g National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health , Morgantown , WV , USA.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schwegler-Berry
authors.affiliation: g National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health , Morgantown , WV , USA.
authors.forename: Aleksandr B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Stefaniak
authors.affiliation: b Academic Medical Center, Coronel Institute of Occupational Health, University of Amsterdam , Amsterdam , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kezic
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D003020:Clothing; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000378:metabolism*; D004817:Epidermis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010316:Particle Size; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D012834:Silver
keywords: Dermatitis; nanoparticles; silver; tape stripping; textiles