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Subacute oral toxicity investigation of nanoparticulate and ionic silver in rats

  • Inorganic compounds
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Abstract

Subacute toxicity of 14 nm nanoparticulate silver (Ag-NP) stabilised with polyvinylpyrrolidone and ionic silver in the form of silver acetate (Ag-acetate) was investigated in four-week-old Wistar rats. Animals received orally by gavage the following: vehicle control (10 ♀, 6 ♂); Ag-NP at doses: 2.25 (8 ♀), 4.5 (8 ♀) or 9 mg/kg bw/day (10 ♀, 6 ♂); or Ag-acetate 9 mg silver/kg bw/day (8 ♀) for 28 days. Clinical, haematolological and biochemical parameters, organ weights, macro- and microscopic pathological changes were investigated. Caecal bacterial phyla and their silver resistance genes were quantified. For the Ag-NP groups, no toxicological effects were recorded. For Ag-acetate, lower body weight gain (day 4–7, 11–14, 14–16, P < 0.05; overall, day 1–28, P < 0.01), increased plasma alkaline phosphatase (P < 0.05), decreased plasma urea (P < 0.05) and lower absolute (P < 0.01) and relative (P < 0.05) thymus weight were recorded. In conclusion, these findings indicate toxicity of 9 mg/kg bw/day ionic silver but not of an equimolar Ag-NP dose. This is in accordance with previously reported data showing that oral Ag-acetate, in comparison with an equimolar dose of Ag-NP, resulted in higher silver plasma and organ concentrations.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the Danish Food Industry Agency for funding the project. Anne Ørngreen, Maja Danielsen, Eva Ferdinansen, Elise E. Navntoft, Eigil V. Frank, Kenneth R. Worm, Sarah G. Simonsen, Annette Landin, Karen Roswall, Joan Frandsen, Ulla Baroudy, Vibeke Kjær, Nehad Moradian and Birgitte Koch Herbst are thanked for excellent technical assistance.

Conflict of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Building F, Mørkhøj Bygade 19, 2860, Søborg, Denmark

    Niels Hadrup, Ulla Vogel & Alicja Mortensen

  2. Division of Food Chemistry, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Mørkhøj Bygade 19, 2860, Søborg, Denmark

    Katrin Loeschner, Henrik L. Frandsen & Erik H. Larsen

  3. Division of Microbiology and Risk Assessment, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Mørkhøj Bygade 19, 2860, Søborg, Denmark

    Anders Bergström & Andrea Wilcks

  4. Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Xueyun Gao

  5. National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Ulla Vogel

  6. Environment and Toxicology, DHI, Agern Allé 5, 2970, Hørsholm, Denmark

    Henrik R. Lam

Authors
  1. Niels Hadrup
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  2. Katrin Loeschner
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  3. Anders Bergström
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  4. Andrea Wilcks
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  5. Xueyun Gao
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  6. Ulla Vogel
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  7. Henrik L. Frandsen
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  8. Erik H. Larsen
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  9. Henrik R. Lam
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  10. Alicja Mortensen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alicja Mortensen.

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Hadrup, N., Loeschner, K., Bergström, A. et al. Subacute oral toxicity investigation of nanoparticulate and ionic silver in rats. Arch Toxicol 86, 543–551 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-011-0759-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-011-0759-1

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