Biochemical Changes Induced by the Toxicity of Variable Sizes of Silver Nanoparticles

Background: Silver nanoparticles (SNPs) rapid involvement in industry and nanomedicine increased human exposure to variable forms of these particles, with possible potential risk on human health. Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the biochemical changes induced by variable sizes of SNPs toxicity. Place and Duration of Study: Faculty of Medicine, The University of Jordan and the College of Applied Medical Sciences at Aljouf University, Saudi Arabia, between January 2013 and January 2014. Study Design: Forty-two male mice were subjected to a daily single dose (1mg/kg body weight) of SNPs using five different sizes (10 nm, 20 nm, 40 nm, 60 nm and 100 nm) for 35 days. Methodology: Biochemical changes of the following eleven biochemical tests were determined: aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, triglycerides, total bilirubin, creatinine, total protein, albumin, urea, uric acid and total cholesterol. Results: Silver nanoparticles significantly elevated aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, triglycerides, total bilirubin and creatinine, with no significant change in total protein level while albumin and total cholesterol levels were lowered. Conclusion: The findings indicate that exposure to SNPs produced significant biochemical changes that might affect the functions of the vital organs. Moreover, these alterations were size-dependent with smaller particles (10 nm and 20 nm) induced more alterations than the larger ones.