In Vitro Effect of 30 nm Silver Nanoparticles on Adipogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

With the combined use of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in bone tissue engineering, more knowledge of the effects of Ag NPs on hMSCs is required. Up to date, researches mainly focused on the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of Ag NPs, only few studies discussed their influence on the differentiation of stem cells, especially adipogenic differentiation. In the present study, we investigated the in vitro uptake of 30 nm PVP-coated Ag NPs in hMSCs and their effects on cell viability, cell morphology and adipogenic differentiation of hMSCs. HMSCs were exposed to Ag NPs at concentrations of 25 and 50 μg/mL for 24 hours and at concentrations of 5 and 10 μg/mL throughout the whole differentiation period. Results of cell viability showed that Ag NPs caused time- and dose-dependent toxicity in hMSCs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the uptake of Ag NPs into cytoplasm of hMSCs. No influence on cell morphology was observed. The 30 nm sized Ag NPs had no effects on adiponectin secretion, lipid droplet formation and the expression of adipogenic marker genes. It is concluded that under our experimental conditions, 30 nm PVP-coated Ag NPs do not influence the adipogenic differentiation of hMSCs in vitro. The present results provide a reference for the usage of 30 nm Ag NPs in the presence of hMSCs in bone tissue engineering.