Silicon Dioxide Nanoparticles Exert Dissimilar Cytotoxic Effects on Mammalian Cell Types

摘要

Applications of nanomaterials (e.g., silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles) are ubiquitous. Thus, environmental and occupational exposure to these nanoparticles could pose potential health risk SiO2 microparticles are toxic in animals in vivo and in some mammalian cell types in vitro although studies using human cell types are scarce. We have compared their effects on human astrocytoma U-87 (astrocytes-like) and neuroblastoma SK-N-SH (neurons-like) cells, and on normal human fibroblasts. Treatment with SiO2 nanoparticles (0.1-100 iig/ml) induced dose-related, differential cytotoxic effects on the human cell types studied, the effect being least pronounced in fibroblasts. Observations of the treated cells using bright-field light microscopy were compatible with the results noted using MTT assay Thus, our results may have implications in risk assessment of environmental and occupational exposure to these nanoparticles.