Cytotoxic Effects of Silver and Gold Nanoparticles in Human Glioblastoma U87 Cells

摘要

Nanoparticles have contributed significantly to the design of new drug delivery and targeting in cancer chemotherapy. Consequently, some of the desirable qualities of silver and gold nanoparticles have prompted their novel applications in cancer nanobiotechnology. Glioblastoma is the most common and highest grade primary brain tumors in adults. Despite limited recent advances in treatment of this neurotumor, the prognosis of patients with this tumor remains extremely poor. In this study, we have investigated the hypothesis that silver and gold nanoparticles exert differential cytotoxic effects on human astrocytoma (glioblastoma) U87 cells. Our results demonstrate silver and gold nanoparticles induced time-and concentration-related effects in lowering the survival of U87 cells. Consistent with our hypothesis, the effects induced by silver nanoparticles were much more pronounced compared to those induced by gold nanoparticles. We also found that both silver and gold nanoparticles induced changes in the morphology of the cell body and processes of U87 cells: again, the effects of silver nanoparticles were more marked than those induced by gold nanoparticles. Our results may have pathophysiological implications in cytotoxicity of metallic nanoparticles in neural cells and suggest silver nanoparticles may have chemotherapeutic potential in the design of new treatment(s) for glioblastoma.