Comparative toxicity assessment of Ag and TiO2 nanoparticles in human endothelial cells and zebrafish embryos
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Abstract
This study compares the toxicity of silver nanoparticles (NPs Ag, 20 nm) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NPs TiO₂, 30 nm, anatase phase) in HUVEC cells and zebrafish embryos. Characterization through electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV-Vis spectroscopy confirmed their nanostructured dimensions and tendency to aggregate. In biological media, both showed increased hydrodynamic diameters, attributed to a PVP coating that reduces their bioavailability. NPs Ag decreased in size in embryo water, whereas NPs TiO₂ increased in F-12 medium. In vitro, NPs Ag exhibited higher cytotoxicity, linked to Ag⁺ ion release and oxidative stress. In zebrafish, TiO₂ NPs caused pigmentation loss and reduced survival (83.13% at 25 µg/mL), while Ag NPs showed minimal toxicity despite accumulating in the chorion. This divergence is explained by the PVP coating, which inhibited Ag⁺ release in vivo but not in protein-rich cultures. The results reveal model-dependent toxic profiles: Ag NPs pose a higher cellular risk, while TiO₂ NPs affect developmental processes in vertebrates. The study highlights the necessity to integrate physicochemical characterization with multi-model evaluations for accurate nanotoxicological assessments.
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Mundo Nano. Revista Interdisciplinaria en Nanociencias y Nanotecnología por Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México se distribuye bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional.
Basada en una obra en http://www.mundonano.unam.mx.
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