Nanosilver in Supplements and Packaging: Cellular Risks Revealed

Author: University of Southern Denmark
Published: 2014/02/27 - Updated: 2025/04/28
Publication Details: Peer-Reviewed, Reports & Proceedings
Category Topic: Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This report summarizes research from the University of Southern Denmark indicating that nanoparticles of silver, commonly found in dietary supplements, cosmetics, and food packaging, can penetrate human cells and potentially cause cellular damage. The study, published in a scholarly journal, demonstrates that nanosilver exposure in human intestinal cells leads to the formation of harmful free radicals and alters protein structure and quantity within cells. These findings are particularly concerning because overproduction of free radicals is associated with serious diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

While the research was conducted on cells in the laboratory and does not establish the amount of nanosilver required to cause harm in humans, the results prompted health authorities in Denmark to caution against the use of nanosilver supplements. This information is authoritative and useful for consumers, especially seniors and people with disabilities who may be more vulnerable to toxic exposures, as it highlights the need for caution regarding products containing nanosilver and underscores the importance of regulatory oversight in protecting public health - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

More dangerous chemicals in everyday life: Now experts warn against nanosilver. Nanosilver is defined as silver particles of between 1 nm and 100 nm in size. While frequently described as being silver some are composed of a large percentage of silver oxide due to their large ratio of surface-to-bulk silver atoms. Due to their anti-microbial activities, silver nanoparticles have been incorporated into many consumer products. These products include dietary supplements, laundry detergents, body soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, disinfectant sprays, kitchen utensils, clothing and children's toys. Exposure to silver nanoparticles has been associated with inflammatory, oxidative, genotoxic, and cytotoxic consequences; the silver particulates primarily accumulate in the liver, but have also been shown to be toxic in other organs including the brain.

Main Content

Endocrine disrupters are not the only worrying chemicals that ordinary consumers are exposed to in everyday life. Also nanoparticles of silver, found in e.g. dietary supplements, cosmetics and food packaging, now worry scientists. A new study from the University of Southern Denmark shows that nanosilver can penetrate our cells and cause damage.

Silver has an antibacterial effect and therefore the food and cosmetic industry often coat their products with silver nanoparticles. Nano-silver can be found in e.g. drinking bottles, cosmetics, band aids, toothbrushes, running socks, refrigerators, washing machines and food packaging.

"Silver as a metal does not pose any danger, but when you break it down to nano-sizes, the particles become small enough to penetrate a cell wall. If nanosilver enters a human cell, it can cause changes in the cell", explain Associate Professor Frank Kjeldsen and PhD Thiago Verano-Braga, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Denmark.

Together with their research colleagues they have just published the results of a study of such cell damages in the journal ACS Nano.

The researchers examined human intestinal cells, as they consider these to be most likely to come into contact with nanosilver, ingested with food.

"We can confirm that nanosilver leads to the formation of harmful, so called free radicals in cells. We can also see that there are changes in the form and amount of proteins. This worries us", say Frank Kjeldsen and Thiago Verano-Braga.

A large number of serious diseases are characterized by the fact that there is an overproduction of free radicals in cells. This applies to cancer and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Kjeldsen and Verano-Braga emphasizes that their research is conducted on human cells in a laboratory, not based on living people. They also point out that they do not know how large a dose of nanosilver, a person must be exposed to for the emergence of cellular changes.

"We don't know how much is needed, so we cannot conclude that nanosilver can make you sick. But we can say that we must be very cautious and worried when we see an overproduction of free radicals in human cells", they say.

Nano-silver is also sold as a dietary supplement, promising to have an antibacterial, anti-flu and cancer-inhibitory effect. The nanosilver should also help against low blood counts and bad skin. In the EU, the marketing of dietary supplements and foods with claims to have medical effects is not allowed. But the nanosilver is easy to find and buy online.

In the wake of the University of Southern Denmark-research, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration now warns against taking dietary supplements with nanosilver.

"The recent research strongly suggests that it can be dangerous", says Soren Langkilde from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration to the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR).

Reference

Insights into the Cellular Response Triggered by Silver Nanoparticles using Quantitative Proteomics. ACS NANO.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Attribution/Source(s): This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by University of Southern Denmark and published on 2014/02/27, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.