Toxicity of Silver Nanoparticles to Human Cell Lines

Antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) has resulted in their widespread applications in health, electronics, medicine and home products. SNPs also possess unique optic and catalytic properties, making them highly attractive for the creation of new advanced functional materials. Once released into the environment, SNPs may change chemically and pose toxicity to different faunal species including humans. SNPs may penetrate the gastrointestinal barrier and reach the circulatory system resulting in severe health impacts. The present review paper emphasizes the toxicity of SNPs on different human cell lines including human adipose-derived stem cells, human hepatoma cells, human mesenchymal stem cells, human intestinal cells, human epidermoid larynx carcinoma cell line and human Jurkat T cells through compiling the available reports. SNPs were found to display toxicity to different cell lines at different concentrations. SNP exposure to humans should be minimized so as to minimize the health hazards.