Responses of human hepatoma HepG2 cells to silver nanoparticles and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Abstract

The nanotechnology has revolutionized the global market with silver nanoparticles (AgNP) occupying a prominent position due to their remarkable anti-bacterial properties. However, there is no data about the adverse and toxic effects of associations of AgNP and ubiquitous compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). In the current study, we investigated the responses of HepG2 cells to realistic concentrations of AgNP (0.09, 0.9, and 9 ng ml⁻¹) and mixture of PAH (30 and 300 ng ml⁻¹), separately and in association. Cell viability and cytotoxicity (neutral red retention and MTT production assays) and proliferation (crystal violet [CV] assay), xenobiotic efflux transporter activity (rhodamine B accumulation assay), ROS levels (dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate assay), and lipid peroxidation (pyrenylphosphine-1-diphenyl assay) were analyzed. There was no decreases of cell viability after exposure to AgNP, PAH and most of AgNP + PAH associations, but increases of cell viability/number (CV assay) occurred. Efflux transporter activity was not affected, with exception of one AgNP + PAH associations, ROS levels increased, but lipid peroxidation decreased. Some toxicological interactions occurred, particularly for the highest concentrations of AgNP and PAH, but there is no evidence that these interactions increased the toxicity of AgNP and PAH.

Keywords:

• Silver nanoparticles
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• HepG2
• proliferation
• toxicological interaction

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The authors thank Dr. Èmilien Pelletier from Université du Québec à Rimouski, Canada, for kindly providing the silver nanoparticles, the Brazilian agency of scientific funding National Council of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) for scientific initiation scholarships (PIBIC) and Fundação Araucária de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Estado do Paraná (convênio 06/2017) for financial support.