Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on Cryopreserved Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Cartilage Tissue

The finding of the presence/absence of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) cytotoxic action is important direction of nanobiotechnological researches. The influence of AgNPs on viability, DNA fragmentation, processes apoptosis/necrosis, morphological characteristics, and proliferative potential of cryopreserved mesenchymal stem cells (CrMSCs) from cartilage tissue was investigated. The AgNPs with an average size of 15 nm were used in the study. CrMSCs from cartilage tissue were incubated with AgNPs at final concentrations of 0 (control), 4, 6, 10, 20 μg/mL for 1 h. The use of 4 and 6 μg/mL AgNPs did not influence on studied parameters in CrMSCs from cartilage tissue. AgNPs at concentrations of 10 and 20 μg/mL decreased the clonogenic potential (1.3- and 1.4-fold, respectively), proliferative activity (1.2- and 1.6-fold, respectively), and synthesis collagen type II (1.6- and 1.9-fold, respectively) if compared with the control. Morphological characteristics were also changed compared to control samples on the 10th day of culturing of cartilage CrMSCs after preliminary incubation with AgNPs at concentrations of 10 and 20 μg/mL. Thus, it was found that AgNPs in concentrations of 4 and 6 µg/mL are safe for CrMSCs from cartilage tissue, while increasing up to 10 µg/mL has a toxic effect that manifested by the change of morphological and functional characteristics. The presented results are belonged to the field of applied nanobiotechnology that spreads to the regenerative medicine, especially in the area of cartilage restoration.