Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40563490›Full record

ArticleBiomolecules2025

Functionalization-Dependent Cytotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles: A Comparative Study of Chlorhexidine and Metronidazole Conjugates.

Karol P Steckiewicz, Monika Dmochowska, Elżbieta Megiel, Ewelina Barcińska, Iwona Inkielewicz-Stępniak

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Biomolecules, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Karol P SteckiewiczDepartment of Pharmaceutical Pathophysiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-5353-9849
Monika DmochowskaDepartment of Pharmaceutical Pathophysiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland.
Elżbieta MegielFaculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.ORCID 0000-0003-3422-9017
Ewelina BarcińskaDepartment of Pharmaceutical Pathophysiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland.
Iwona Inkielewicz-StępniakDepartment of Pharmaceutical Pathophysiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland.ORCID 0000-0003-1676-2723

Funding

NCN 2017/27/N/NZ7/02675
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study examines the cytotoxicity of two silver nanoparticle formulations-AgNPs conjugated with chlorhexidine (AgNPs-CHL) and AgNPs conjugated with polyethylene glycol and metronidazole (AgNPs-PEG-MET)-as examples of the surface functionalization of silver nanoparticles with drugs via sulfur-silver bonds and nitrogen-silver interactions. We previously reported the synthesis of these NPs and their efficiency in periodontitis treatment. Here, we analyze the relationships between the cytotoxic mechanisms of AgNPs and their surface chemistry. UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used for physicochemical studies of the conjugates in two environments: aqueous solutions and commonly used cell culture media. Cytotoxicity was assessed in human fetal osteoblasts (hFOB 1.19) and human gingival fibroblasts (HGF-1) through BrdU and LDH assays, ROS detection, cell cycle analysis, apoptosis assays, and protein expression studies. AgNPs-CHL showed aggregation and increased hydrodynamic diameters in the culture medium, while AgNPs-PEG-MET remained stable. Both exhibited concentration-dependent cytotoxicity: AgNPs-CHL at 0.4-10 μg/mL and AgNPs-PEG-MET at 0.75-10 μg/mL. AgNPs-CHL, in which silver surface functionalization was realized via nitrogen-silver interactions, induced significant ROS generation, LDH release, and necroptosis, marked by increased RIP1, RIP3, and MLKL proteins. In the case of AgNPs-PEG-MET, where sulfur-silver bonds combined the drug via a PEG linker, they triggered apoptosis, as evidenced by elevated caspase-2 levels and flow cytometry. These findings highlight that the type of surface functionalization of silver nanoparticles significantly influences their physicochemical behavior and biological effects. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial in designing safer, more effective nanoparticle-based therapies for periodontal and other inflammatory conditions.

Indexed as

ChlorhexidineMetal NanoparticlesMetronidazoleSilverApoptosisCell LineCell SurvivalFibroblastsHumansOsteoblastsPolyethylene GlycolsReactive Oxygen SpeciesChlorhexidineMetronidazolePolyethylene GlycolsReactive Oxygen SpeciesSilvercell deathcytotoxicityfunctionalization-dependent cell deathoxidative stresssilver nanoparticles

Identifiers

PMID40563490
PMCPMC12191295

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.