Abstract
The medical application of nanomaterials is growing fast. Amongst the most widely used, silver nanoparticles are antimicrobial agents whose key application is the care of burns and chronic wounds. Still, their absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion behaviour in vivo has not yet been systematically investigated. We collected full-profile specimens of skin from four hospital patients with mid-to-deep thickness burns or equivalent skin wounds, treated with dressings containing silver nanoparticles or silver sulfadiazine. Synchrotron radiation µXRF/µXANES and laser ablation-ICP-MS were used to provide the first semi- quantitative/high resolution direct information on the spatiotemporal distribution and speciation of silver in vivo. The metal was rapidly released onto the wound surface, followed by a significant structure-dependent penetration into the damaged tissues. This was accompanied by sequential processes of metallic silver dissolution, chloride complexation, change to metal-thiol protein complexes, and final mobilization into deeper skin layers towards the vascular networks. Complete local clearance of silver was observed after 12 days of treatment in the case of full healing. The results provide a complete insight into the dynamics of silver in real human wounds, and a new basis for the design
of innovative silver nanomaterials with optimal antibacterial efficacy and minimized risk for the patient.
of innovative silver nanomaterials with optimal antibacterial efficacy and minimized risk for the patient.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 6456-6469 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Analyst |
Volume | 145 |
Issue number | 20 |
Early online date | 27 Aug 2020 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Oct 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding:This research was supported by funds from the MIUR-FIRB project number RBFR08M6W8.
Acknowledgments:
ELGA LabWater is acknowledged for providing the PURELAB Option-Q and Ultra Analytic systems, which produced the ultra-pure water used for Ag determinations. Adam Douglas and Dhinesh Asogan are acknowledged for their technical support during LA-ICP-MS analysis at the University of Venice, and the authors gratefully acknowledge Bill Spence and Teledyne Cetac Technologies
for the loan of the laser ablation instrumentation. Laura Molin and ISTM-CNR are acknowledged for MALDI-TOF-MS analysis. The synchrotron experiments were performed on beamline ID21 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble, France (proposal #CH4121).
Keywords
- Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)
- Wound healing
- Burn
- Elemental imaging
- Elemental speciation
- Synchrotron radiation
- Laser ablation ICP-MS
- HUMAN SKIN
- TISSUE
- RELEASE
- BURNS
- ZINC
- MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES
- NANOCRYSTALLINE SILVER
- ACTIVE SILVER
- DRESSINGS
- ICP-MS