Combinatorial Effects of Silver Nanoparticles and Hypoxia on Lung Cells

Silver nanoparticles are used in a variety of both consumer and medical applications. They possess antimicrobial properties that can stress mammalian cells through the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This experiment looked at A549 human lung alveolar cells with exposure to 10nm silver citrate nanoparticles (AgNPs) in both a normal oxygen environment and hypoxic environment. Cell viability, formation of ROS, as well as the phosphorylation of both HSP27 and NFκB. In both environments, concentrations of 5µg/ml saw significant reduction in cell viability. There was a slight loss in cell viability in the hypoxic environment. The hypoxic environment saw significant increases in ROS at concentrations as low as 0.1µg/ml. In addition, when exposed to 5µg/ml of AgNPs, it was shown to increase phosphorylation of the HSP27, but reduce the phosphorylation of NFκB proteins, which play a crucial role in the stress level of a cell. (We are going to execute another experiment this week, which would combine exposure to AgNPs and low O2 - 10% CO2 on the A549 cell line. Once we get this data, we will update the abstract and be ready for the presentation.