Subacute dermal toxicity investigation of nanosilver on serum chemical biomarkers in male mice

Nanosilver is one of the most widely used nanomaterials due to its strong antimicrobial activity. Thus, because of increasing potential for exposure of human to nanosilver, there is an increasing concern about possible side effects of these nanoparticles. In this study, we tested the potential dermal toxicity of nanosilver bandage on serum chemical biomarkers in mice. In this study, 20 male BALB/c mice were randomly allocated into the treatment and control groups (n=10). After general anesthesia and shaving the back of all animals in near the vertebral column, in the nanosilver group, a volume of 50μl of 10 μg/ml of nanosilver solution (40 nm), and in the control group the same amount of distilled water was added to the sterile bandage of mice, then the bandages were fixed on the skin surface with cloth glue. After 3 and 7 days, the bandages were opened and serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured by using standard kits for two groups of mice. In treatment group, a significant increase in ALT, AST and BUN levels were observed compared with control group during experiment periods (p<0.05), but there wasn’t a significant increase in Cr level in treatment group during experiment periods (p>0.05). The present results indicated that the dermal absorption of 10 μg/ml nanosilver (40 nm) can lead to hepatotoxicity and renal toxicity in mice.