Balam Ruiz - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Balam Ruiz
Revista De Salud Ambiental, 2012
Danos genéticos e exposição a pesticidas em trabalhadores agrícolas do
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Dec 1, 2012
DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals - DOAJ, Dec 1, 2012
Nanomaterials, 2022
The hemolytic activity assay is a versatile tool for fast primary toxicity studies. This work pre... more The hemolytic activity assay is a versatile tool for fast primary toxicity studies. This work presents a systematic study of the hemolytic properties of ArgovitTM silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) extensively studied for biomedical applications. The results revealed an unusual and unexpected bell-shaped hemolysis curve for human healthy and diabetic donor erythrocytes. With the decrease of pH from 7.4 and 6.8 to 5.6, the hemolysis profiles for AgNPs and AgNO3 changed dramatically. For AgNPs, the bell shape changed to a step shape with a subsequent sharp increase, and for AgNO3 it changed to a gradual increase. Explanations of these changes based on the aggregation of AgNPs due to the increase of proton concentration were suggested. Hemolysis of diabetic donor erythrocytes was slightly higher than that of healthy donor erythrocytes. The meta-analysis revealed that for only one AgNPs formulation (out of 48), a bell-shaped hemolysis profile was reported, but not discussed. This scarcity of ...
Journal of Toxicology, 2016
Feminization of the agricultural labor is common in Mexico; these women and their families are vu... more Feminization of the agricultural labor is common in Mexico; these women and their families are vulnerable to several health risks including genotoxicity. Previous papers have presented contradictory information with respect to indirect exposure to pesticides and DNA damage. We aimed to evaluate the genotoxic effect in buccal mucosa from female farmers and children, working in the agricultural valley of Maneadero, Baja California. Frequencies of micronucleated cells (MNc) and nuclear abnormalities (NA) in 2000 cells were obtained from the buccal mucosa of the study population (n=144), divided in four groups: (1) farmers (n=37), (2) unexposed (n=35), (3) farmers’ children (n=34), and (4) unexposed children (n=38). We compared frequencies of MNc and NA and fitted generalized linear models to investigate the interaction between these variables and exposition to pesticides. Differences were found between farmers and unexposed women in MNc (p<0.0001), CC (p=0.3376), and PN (p<0.0001...
The Lancet, 2013
ABSTRACT Background Mexico had 4598 reported cases of AIDS as of December, 2012, and 4% of the pa... more ABSTRACT Background Mexico had 4598 reported cases of AIDS as of December, 2012, and 4% of the patients infected with HIV-1 in Mexico live in Baja California. The aim of this study was to analyse the predominant HIV-1 virus and characterise the extent of viral genetic diversity in populations from Ensenada and Tijuana cities in Baja California, Mexico. Methods We collected clinical samples from February, 2012, to April, 2013, in three different public hospitals (one in Ensenada and two in Tijuana). Only patients with HIV-1 infections confirmed by Western blot who were naive to antiretroviral treatment (ART) were included in the study. All patients answered a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic and behavioural issues, gave signed informed consent, and allowed the extraction of 5 mL of whole blood. Findings 22 patients infected with HIV-1 were included in the study (mean age 37 years [range 18—50]) and 82% of the patients were men. 54% represented men who self-reported homosexual or bisexual behaviour. The mean plasma viral load was 239 946 HIV-1 RNA copies per mL (range 1950—1 862 087). The predominant route of transmission was sexual in 72% of the patients. Plasma RNA was extracted from whole blood with the High Pure Viral Nucleic Acid kit. The HIV-1 V3—V5 region of the gp120 env gene (HXB2 position 7065—7634) was amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Only five (23%) samples were successfully amplified and sequenced. We obtained a 579 bp sequence showing 116 variable sites. Reference sequences of different subtypes (n=58) were downloaded from the HIV-1 GenBank. Subtyping of the clinical strains was initially inferred with a maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree constructed with the HKY model and 1000 bootstrap datasets with PAUP 4.0Beta. The gene segments were analysed for recombinant screening with RIP3·0. To confirm consistent results, REGA HIV-1 Subtyping Tool (version 2·0) was also used. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all five samples analysed were HIV-1 subtype B group M, which were distributed in two haplotypes. Hap 1 (n=4) was classified as X4 and Hap 2 (n=1) as R5 virus (which use CCR4 and CCR5 as a co-receptor, respectively). All samples showed the crown of the V3 loop with the aminoacid sequence glycine-proline-glycine-arginine. There was no phylogenetic clustering or differences between the samples according to sex, age, or method of acquisition of HIV infection. Interpretation The genetic diversity of HIV has important implications for multiple aspects of the pandemic, including diagnostic and laboratory tests, susceptibility to ART, transmission capability, and disease progression. This study contributes to our understanding of the epidemiology of HIV infection in Mexico. We are now analysing more clinical samples collected from the same public hospitals, and the nucleotide sequences have been deposited in GenBank under accession numbers KF356165-67 and KF366441-42. Funding This research was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Mexico (CONACyT) and Universidad Autonoma de Baja California.
Nanomaterials, 2020
Due to their antibacterial and antiviral effects, silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are one of the most... more Due to their antibacterial and antiviral effects, silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are one of the most widely used nanomaterials worldwide in various industries, e.g., in textiles, cosmetics and biomedical-related products. Unfortunately, the lack of complete physicochemical characterization and the variety of models used to evaluate its cytotoxic/genotoxic effect make comparison and decision-making regarding their safe use difficult. In this work, we present a systematic study of the cytotoxic and genotoxic activity of the commercially available AgNPs formulation Argovit™ in Allium cepa. The evaluated concentration range, 5–100 µg/mL of metallic silver content (85–1666 µg/mL of complete formulation), is 10–17 times higher than the used for other previously reported polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-AgNP formulations and showed no cytotoxic or genotoxic damage in Allium cepa. Conversely, low concentrations (5 and 10 µg/mL) promote growth without damage to roots or bulbs. Until this work, all th...
Revista de Salud Ambiental, 2012
Diferentes estudios muestran la capacidad de los plaguicidas para inducir daño genético (DG) con ... more Diferentes estudios muestran la capacidad de los plaguicidas para inducir daño genético (DG) con diversos efectos en la salud. En el presente trabajo se estudia la genotoxicidad en residentes del valle agrícola de San Quintín, Baja California, México (VSQ). El objetivo fue determinar si la exposición laboral y ambiental a plaguicidas en la región del VSQ es un factor de DG y explorar si las mujeres son más vulnerables a dicho efecto. Se aplicó un cuestionario a 88 residentes del VSQ para determinar los factores de inclusión y exclusión del estudio, 40 aceptaron participar, 25 expuestos ocupacionalmente a plaguicidas y 15 ambientalmente expuestos, con similar número de hombres y mujeres. Todos los participantes firmaron un consentimiento informado. Se utilizó la técnica de micronúcleos (MN) por bloqueo de la citocinesis en sangre periférica para evaluar el DG con la frecuencia de MN y Puentes de Cromatina en 1000 células binucleadas (CBN); se exploró la correlación del DG con el tiem...
Revista de Salud Ambiental, 2012
Diferentes estudios muestran la capacidad de los plaguicidas para inducir daño genético (DG) con ... more Diferentes estudios muestran la capacidad de los plaguicidas para inducir daño genético (DG) con diversos efectos en la salud. En el presente trabajo se estudia la genotoxicidad en residentes del valle agrícola de San Quintín, Baja California, México (VSQ). El objetivo fue determinar si la exposición laboral y ambiental a plaguicidas en la región del VSQ es un factor de DG y explorar si las mujeres son más vulnerables a dicho efecto. Se aplicó un cuestionario a 88 residentes del VSQ para determinar los factores de inclusión y exclusión del estudio, 40 aceptaron participar, 25 expuestos ocupacionalmente a plaguicidas y 15 ambientalmente expuestos, con similar número de hombres y mujeres. Todos los participantes firmaron un consentimiento informado. Se utilizó la técnica de micronúcleos (MN) por bloqueo de la citocinesis en sangre periférica para evaluar el DG con la frecuencia de MN y Puentes de Cromatina en 1000 células binucleadas (CBN); se exploró la correlación del DG con el tiem...
Revista de Ciencias Tecnológicas, 2018
Resumen.-El estudio de la genotoxicidad en modelos murinos es útil para responder las dudas relac... more Resumen.-El estudio de la genotoxicidad en modelos murinos es útil para responder las dudas relacionadas con la seguridad por el uso de nanomateriales, sobre todo cuando se pretende el desarrollo de nuevas opciones terapéuticas. El
Revista De Salud Ambiental, 2012
Danos genéticos e exposição a pesticidas em trabalhadores agrícolas do
ACS Omega
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most used nanomaterials worldwide due to their excellent ant... more Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most used nanomaterials worldwide due to their excellent antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumor activities, among others. However, there is scarce information regarding their genotoxic potential measured using human peripheral blood lymphocytes. In this work, we present the cytotoxic and genotoxic behavior of two commercially available poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-coated silver nanoparticle (PVP−AgNPs) formulations that can be identified as noncytotoxic and nongenotoxic by just evaluating micronuclei (MNi) induction and the mitotic index, but present enormous differences when other parameters such as cytostasis, apoptosis, necrosis, and nuclear damage (nuclear buds (NBUDs) and nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs)) are analyzed. The results show that Argovit (35 nm PVP−AgNPs) and nanoComposix (50 nm PVP−AgNPs), at concentrations from 0.012 to 12 μg/mL, produce no changes in the nuclear division index (NDI) or micronuclei (MNi) frequency compared with the values found on control cultures of human blood peripheral lymphocytes from a healthy donor. Still, 50 nm PVP−AgNPs significantly decrease the replication index and significantly increase cytostasis, apoptosis, necrosis, and the frequencies of nuclear buds (NBUDs) and nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs). These results provide evidence that the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay using human lymphocytes and evaluating the eight parameters provided by the technique is a sensitive, fast, accurate, and inexpensive detection tool to support or discard AgNPs or other nanomaterials, which is worthwhile for continued testing of their effectiveness and toxicity for biomedical applications. In addition, it provides very important information about the role played by the [coating agent]/[metal] ratio in the design of nanomaterials that could reduce adverse effects as much as possible while retaining their therapeutic capabilities.
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been studied worldwide for their potential biomedical applicati... more Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been studied worldwide for their potential biomedical applications. Specifically, they are proposed as a novel alternative for cancer treatment. However, the determination of their cytotoxic and genotoxic effects continues to limit their application. The commercially available silver nanoparticle Argovit™ has shown antineoplastic, antiviral, antibacterial, and tissue regenerative properties, activities triggered by its capacity to promote the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, in this work, we evaluated the genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of the Argovit™ formulation (average size: 35 nm) on BALB/c mice using the micronucleus in a peripheral blood erythrocytes model. Besides, we evaluated the capability of AgNPs to modulate the genotoxic effect induced by cyclophosphamide (CP) after the administration of the oncologic agent. To achieve this, 5–6-week-old male mice with a mean weight of 20.11 ± 2.38 g were treated with water...
Materials
The use of nanomaterials is becoming increasingly widespread, leading to substantial research foc... more The use of nanomaterials is becoming increasingly widespread, leading to substantial research focused on nanomedicine. Nevertheless, the lack of complete toxicity profiles limits nanomaterials’ uses, despite their remarkable diagnostic and therapeutic results on in vitro and in vivo models. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), particularly Argovit™, have shown microbicidal, virucidal, and antitumoral effects. Among the first-line toxicity tests is the hemolysis assay. Here, the hemolytic effect of Argovit™ AgNPs on erythrocytes from one healthy donor (HDE) and one diabetic donor (DDE) is evaluated by the hemolysis assay against AgNO3. The results showed that Argovit™, in concentrations ≤24 µg/mL of metallic silver, did not show a hemolytic effect on the HDE or DDE. On the contrary, AgNO3 at the same concentration of silver ions produces more than 10% hemolysis in both the erythrocyte types. In all the experimental conditions assessed, the DDE was shown to be more prone to hemolysis than th...
Pharmaceutics
Nanomaterials quickly evolve to produce safe and effective biomedical alternatives, mainly silver... more Nanomaterials quickly evolve to produce safe and effective biomedical alternatives, mainly silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The AgNPs’ antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumor properties convert them into a recurrent scaffold to produce new treatment options. This work reported the full characterization of a highly biocompatible protein-coated AgNPs formulation and their selective antitumor and amoebicidal activity. The protein-coated AgNPs formulation exhibits a half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 19.7 µM (2.3 µg/mL) that is almost 10 times more potent than carboplatin (first-line chemotherapeutic agent) to inhibit the proliferation of the highly aggressive human adenocarcinoma HCT-15. The main death pathway elicited by AgNPs on HCT-15 is apoptosis, which is probably stimulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction on mitochondria. A concentration of 111 µM (600 µg/mL) of metallic silver contained in AgNPs produces neither cytotoxic nor genotoxic damage on human peripheral...
Pharmaceutics
Nanomaterials quickly evolve to produce safe and effective biomedical alternatives, mainly silver... more Nanomaterials quickly evolve to produce safe and effective biomedical alternatives, mainly silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The AgNPs’ antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumor properties convert them into a recurrent scaffold to produce new treatment options. This work reported the full characterization of a highly biocompatible protein-coated AgNPs formulation and their selective antitumor and amoebicidal activity. The protein-coated AgNPs formulation exhibits a half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 19.7 µM (2.3 µg/mL) that is almost 10 times more potent than carboplatin (first-line chemotherapeutic agent) to inhibit the proliferation of the highly aggressive human adenocarcinoma HCT-15. The main death pathway elicited by AgNPs on HCT-15 is apoptosis, which is probably stimulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction on mitochondria. A concentration of 111 µM (600 µg/mL) of metallic silver contained in AgNPs produces neither cytotoxic nor genotoxic damage on human peripheral...
Revista De Salud Ambiental, 2012
Danos genéticos e exposição a pesticidas em trabalhadores agrícolas do
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Dec 1, 2012
DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals - DOAJ, Dec 1, 2012
Nanomaterials, 2022
The hemolytic activity assay is a versatile tool for fast primary toxicity studies. This work pre... more The hemolytic activity assay is a versatile tool for fast primary toxicity studies. This work presents a systematic study of the hemolytic properties of ArgovitTM silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) extensively studied for biomedical applications. The results revealed an unusual and unexpected bell-shaped hemolysis curve for human healthy and diabetic donor erythrocytes. With the decrease of pH from 7.4 and 6.8 to 5.6, the hemolysis profiles for AgNPs and AgNO3 changed dramatically. For AgNPs, the bell shape changed to a step shape with a subsequent sharp increase, and for AgNO3 it changed to a gradual increase. Explanations of these changes based on the aggregation of AgNPs due to the increase of proton concentration were suggested. Hemolysis of diabetic donor erythrocytes was slightly higher than that of healthy donor erythrocytes. The meta-analysis revealed that for only one AgNPs formulation (out of 48), a bell-shaped hemolysis profile was reported, but not discussed. This scarcity of ...
Journal of Toxicology, 2016
Feminization of the agricultural labor is common in Mexico; these women and their families are vu... more Feminization of the agricultural labor is common in Mexico; these women and their families are vulnerable to several health risks including genotoxicity. Previous papers have presented contradictory information with respect to indirect exposure to pesticides and DNA damage. We aimed to evaluate the genotoxic effect in buccal mucosa from female farmers and children, working in the agricultural valley of Maneadero, Baja California. Frequencies of micronucleated cells (MNc) and nuclear abnormalities (NA) in 2000 cells were obtained from the buccal mucosa of the study population (n=144), divided in four groups: (1) farmers (n=37), (2) unexposed (n=35), (3) farmers’ children (n=34), and (4) unexposed children (n=38). We compared frequencies of MNc and NA and fitted generalized linear models to investigate the interaction between these variables and exposition to pesticides. Differences were found between farmers and unexposed women in MNc (p<0.0001), CC (p=0.3376), and PN (p<0.0001...
The Lancet, 2013
ABSTRACT Background Mexico had 4598 reported cases of AIDS as of December, 2012, and 4% of the pa... more ABSTRACT Background Mexico had 4598 reported cases of AIDS as of December, 2012, and 4% of the patients infected with HIV-1 in Mexico live in Baja California. The aim of this study was to analyse the predominant HIV-1 virus and characterise the extent of viral genetic diversity in populations from Ensenada and Tijuana cities in Baja California, Mexico. Methods We collected clinical samples from February, 2012, to April, 2013, in three different public hospitals (one in Ensenada and two in Tijuana). Only patients with HIV-1 infections confirmed by Western blot who were naive to antiretroviral treatment (ART) were included in the study. All patients answered a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic and behavioural issues, gave signed informed consent, and allowed the extraction of 5 mL of whole blood. Findings 22 patients infected with HIV-1 were included in the study (mean age 37 years [range 18—50]) and 82% of the patients were men. 54% represented men who self-reported homosexual or bisexual behaviour. The mean plasma viral load was 239 946 HIV-1 RNA copies per mL (range 1950—1 862 087). The predominant route of transmission was sexual in 72% of the patients. Plasma RNA was extracted from whole blood with the High Pure Viral Nucleic Acid kit. The HIV-1 V3—V5 region of the gp120 env gene (HXB2 position 7065—7634) was amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Only five (23%) samples were successfully amplified and sequenced. We obtained a 579 bp sequence showing 116 variable sites. Reference sequences of different subtypes (n=58) were downloaded from the HIV-1 GenBank. Subtyping of the clinical strains was initially inferred with a maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree constructed with the HKY model and 1000 bootstrap datasets with PAUP 4.0Beta. The gene segments were analysed for recombinant screening with RIP3·0. To confirm consistent results, REGA HIV-1 Subtyping Tool (version 2·0) was also used. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all five samples analysed were HIV-1 subtype B group M, which were distributed in two haplotypes. Hap 1 (n=4) was classified as X4 and Hap 2 (n=1) as R5 virus (which use CCR4 and CCR5 as a co-receptor, respectively). All samples showed the crown of the V3 loop with the aminoacid sequence glycine-proline-glycine-arginine. There was no phylogenetic clustering or differences between the samples according to sex, age, or method of acquisition of HIV infection. Interpretation The genetic diversity of HIV has important implications for multiple aspects of the pandemic, including diagnostic and laboratory tests, susceptibility to ART, transmission capability, and disease progression. This study contributes to our understanding of the epidemiology of HIV infection in Mexico. We are now analysing more clinical samples collected from the same public hospitals, and the nucleotide sequences have been deposited in GenBank under accession numbers KF356165-67 and KF366441-42. Funding This research was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Mexico (CONACyT) and Universidad Autonoma de Baja California.
Nanomaterials, 2020
Due to their antibacterial and antiviral effects, silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are one of the most... more Due to their antibacterial and antiviral effects, silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are one of the most widely used nanomaterials worldwide in various industries, e.g., in textiles, cosmetics and biomedical-related products. Unfortunately, the lack of complete physicochemical characterization and the variety of models used to evaluate its cytotoxic/genotoxic effect make comparison and decision-making regarding their safe use difficult. In this work, we present a systematic study of the cytotoxic and genotoxic activity of the commercially available AgNPs formulation Argovit™ in Allium cepa. The evaluated concentration range, 5–100 µg/mL of metallic silver content (85–1666 µg/mL of complete formulation), is 10–17 times higher than the used for other previously reported polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-AgNP formulations and showed no cytotoxic or genotoxic damage in Allium cepa. Conversely, low concentrations (5 and 10 µg/mL) promote growth without damage to roots or bulbs. Until this work, all th...
Revista de Salud Ambiental, 2012
Diferentes estudios muestran la capacidad de los plaguicidas para inducir daño genético (DG) con ... more Diferentes estudios muestran la capacidad de los plaguicidas para inducir daño genético (DG) con diversos efectos en la salud. En el presente trabajo se estudia la genotoxicidad en residentes del valle agrícola de San Quintín, Baja California, México (VSQ). El objetivo fue determinar si la exposición laboral y ambiental a plaguicidas en la región del VSQ es un factor de DG y explorar si las mujeres son más vulnerables a dicho efecto. Se aplicó un cuestionario a 88 residentes del VSQ para determinar los factores de inclusión y exclusión del estudio, 40 aceptaron participar, 25 expuestos ocupacionalmente a plaguicidas y 15 ambientalmente expuestos, con similar número de hombres y mujeres. Todos los participantes firmaron un consentimiento informado. Se utilizó la técnica de micronúcleos (MN) por bloqueo de la citocinesis en sangre periférica para evaluar el DG con la frecuencia de MN y Puentes de Cromatina en 1000 células binucleadas (CBN); se exploró la correlación del DG con el tiem...
Revista de Salud Ambiental, 2012
Diferentes estudios muestran la capacidad de los plaguicidas para inducir daño genético (DG) con ... more Diferentes estudios muestran la capacidad de los plaguicidas para inducir daño genético (DG) con diversos efectos en la salud. En el presente trabajo se estudia la genotoxicidad en residentes del valle agrícola de San Quintín, Baja California, México (VSQ). El objetivo fue determinar si la exposición laboral y ambiental a plaguicidas en la región del VSQ es un factor de DG y explorar si las mujeres son más vulnerables a dicho efecto. Se aplicó un cuestionario a 88 residentes del VSQ para determinar los factores de inclusión y exclusión del estudio, 40 aceptaron participar, 25 expuestos ocupacionalmente a plaguicidas y 15 ambientalmente expuestos, con similar número de hombres y mujeres. Todos los participantes firmaron un consentimiento informado. Se utilizó la técnica de micronúcleos (MN) por bloqueo de la citocinesis en sangre periférica para evaluar el DG con la frecuencia de MN y Puentes de Cromatina en 1000 células binucleadas (CBN); se exploró la correlación del DG con el tiem...
Revista de Ciencias Tecnológicas, 2018
Resumen.-El estudio de la genotoxicidad en modelos murinos es útil para responder las dudas relac... more Resumen.-El estudio de la genotoxicidad en modelos murinos es útil para responder las dudas relacionadas con la seguridad por el uso de nanomateriales, sobre todo cuando se pretende el desarrollo de nuevas opciones terapéuticas. El
Revista De Salud Ambiental, 2012
Danos genéticos e exposição a pesticidas em trabalhadores agrícolas do
ACS Omega
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most used nanomaterials worldwide due to their excellent ant... more Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most used nanomaterials worldwide due to their excellent antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumor activities, among others. However, there is scarce information regarding their genotoxic potential measured using human peripheral blood lymphocytes. In this work, we present the cytotoxic and genotoxic behavior of two commercially available poly(vinylpyrrolidone)-coated silver nanoparticle (PVP−AgNPs) formulations that can be identified as noncytotoxic and nongenotoxic by just evaluating micronuclei (MNi) induction and the mitotic index, but present enormous differences when other parameters such as cytostasis, apoptosis, necrosis, and nuclear damage (nuclear buds (NBUDs) and nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs)) are analyzed. The results show that Argovit (35 nm PVP−AgNPs) and nanoComposix (50 nm PVP−AgNPs), at concentrations from 0.012 to 12 μg/mL, produce no changes in the nuclear division index (NDI) or micronuclei (MNi) frequency compared with the values found on control cultures of human blood peripheral lymphocytes from a healthy donor. Still, 50 nm PVP−AgNPs significantly decrease the replication index and significantly increase cytostasis, apoptosis, necrosis, and the frequencies of nuclear buds (NBUDs) and nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs). These results provide evidence that the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay using human lymphocytes and evaluating the eight parameters provided by the technique is a sensitive, fast, accurate, and inexpensive detection tool to support or discard AgNPs or other nanomaterials, which is worthwhile for continued testing of their effectiveness and toxicity for biomedical applications. In addition, it provides very important information about the role played by the [coating agent]/[metal] ratio in the design of nanomaterials that could reduce adverse effects as much as possible while retaining their therapeutic capabilities.
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been studied worldwide for their potential biomedical applicati... more Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been studied worldwide for their potential biomedical applications. Specifically, they are proposed as a novel alternative for cancer treatment. However, the determination of their cytotoxic and genotoxic effects continues to limit their application. The commercially available silver nanoparticle Argovit™ has shown antineoplastic, antiviral, antibacterial, and tissue regenerative properties, activities triggered by its capacity to promote the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, in this work, we evaluated the genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of the Argovit™ formulation (average size: 35 nm) on BALB/c mice using the micronucleus in a peripheral blood erythrocytes model. Besides, we evaluated the capability of AgNPs to modulate the genotoxic effect induced by cyclophosphamide (CP) after the administration of the oncologic agent. To achieve this, 5–6-week-old male mice with a mean weight of 20.11 ± 2.38 g were treated with water...
Materials
The use of nanomaterials is becoming increasingly widespread, leading to substantial research foc... more The use of nanomaterials is becoming increasingly widespread, leading to substantial research focused on nanomedicine. Nevertheless, the lack of complete toxicity profiles limits nanomaterials’ uses, despite their remarkable diagnostic and therapeutic results on in vitro and in vivo models. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), particularly Argovit™, have shown microbicidal, virucidal, and antitumoral effects. Among the first-line toxicity tests is the hemolysis assay. Here, the hemolytic effect of Argovit™ AgNPs on erythrocytes from one healthy donor (HDE) and one diabetic donor (DDE) is evaluated by the hemolysis assay against AgNO3. The results showed that Argovit™, in concentrations ≤24 µg/mL of metallic silver, did not show a hemolytic effect on the HDE or DDE. On the contrary, AgNO3 at the same concentration of silver ions produces more than 10% hemolysis in both the erythrocyte types. In all the experimental conditions assessed, the DDE was shown to be more prone to hemolysis than th...
Pharmaceutics
Nanomaterials quickly evolve to produce safe and effective biomedical alternatives, mainly silver... more Nanomaterials quickly evolve to produce safe and effective biomedical alternatives, mainly silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The AgNPs’ antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumor properties convert them into a recurrent scaffold to produce new treatment options. This work reported the full characterization of a highly biocompatible protein-coated AgNPs formulation and their selective antitumor and amoebicidal activity. The protein-coated AgNPs formulation exhibits a half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 19.7 µM (2.3 µg/mL) that is almost 10 times more potent than carboplatin (first-line chemotherapeutic agent) to inhibit the proliferation of the highly aggressive human adenocarcinoma HCT-15. The main death pathway elicited by AgNPs on HCT-15 is apoptosis, which is probably stimulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction on mitochondria. A concentration of 111 µM (600 µg/mL) of metallic silver contained in AgNPs produces neither cytotoxic nor genotoxic damage on human peripheral...
Pharmaceutics
Nanomaterials quickly evolve to produce safe and effective biomedical alternatives, mainly silver... more Nanomaterials quickly evolve to produce safe and effective biomedical alternatives, mainly silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The AgNPs’ antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumor properties convert them into a recurrent scaffold to produce new treatment options. This work reported the full characterization of a highly biocompatible protein-coated AgNPs formulation and their selective antitumor and amoebicidal activity. The protein-coated AgNPs formulation exhibits a half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 19.7 µM (2.3 µg/mL) that is almost 10 times more potent than carboplatin (first-line chemotherapeutic agent) to inhibit the proliferation of the highly aggressive human adenocarcinoma HCT-15. The main death pathway elicited by AgNPs on HCT-15 is apoptosis, which is probably stimulated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction on mitochondria. A concentration of 111 µM (600 µg/mL) of metallic silver contained in AgNPs produces neither cytotoxic nor genotoxic damage on human peripheral...