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Review
. 2021 Sep 21;11(9):2454.
doi: 10.3390/nano11092454.

Current Knowledge of Silver and Gold Nanoparticles in Laboratory Research-Application, Toxicity, Cellular Uptake

Patrycja Talarska  1 , Maciej Boruczkowski  1 , Jakub Żurawski  1
Affiliations
Review

Current Knowledge of Silver and Gold Nanoparticles in Laboratory Research-Application, Toxicity, Cellular Uptake

Patrycja Talarska et al. Nanomaterials (Basel). .

Abstract

Silver and gold nanoparticles can be found in a range of household products related to almost every area of life, including patches, bandages, paints, sportswear, personal care products, food storage equipment, cosmetics, disinfectants, etc. Their confirmed ability to enter the organism through respiratory and digestive systems, skin, and crossing the blood-brain barrier raises questions of their potential effect on cell function. Therefore, this manuscript aimed to summarize recent reports concerning the influence of variables such as size, shape, concentration, type of coating, or incubation time, on effects of gold and silver nanoparticles on cultured cell lines. Due to the increasingly common use of AgNP and AuNP in multiple branches of the industry, further studies on the effects of nanoparticles on different types of cells and the general natural environment are needed to enable their long-term use. However, some environmentally friendly solutions to chemically synthesized nanoparticles are also investigated, such as plant-based synthesis methods.

Keywords: gold nanoparticles; nanoparticle applications; nanoparticle interactions; nanotoxicology; silver nanoparticles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A possible mechanism of apoptosis induced by AgNP.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The principle of antioxidant action. SOD (superoxide dismutase), CAT (catalase), GSH-Px (glutathione peroxidase), GSH (reduced glutathione), GSSG (oxidized glutathione).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Main properties and applications of silver and gold nanoparticles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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