silver-This action of silver offsets the loss of the body’s bacteriafighting immune system caused by HIV, the AIDS virus. (original) (raw)

Silver Nanoparticle as Antiviral Agent and Its Uses

Nano Trends-A Journal of Nano Technology & Its Applications, 2020

Silver had been used by human thousands of years ago as various types of medicines (Rasaratna Samuccahay, Bhagbhatta). As the years passes more scientific uses of silver metals had been seen as the human civilization progresses. After the discovery of nano technology Silver is being used in a variety of ways .Nano particles exhibits less toxicity as compared to their ionic counterpart. Nowadays silver is used in various forms colloidal silver Nanoparticle (AgNPs) is one of the main form of silver, Today is being used in Human body considering toxicity level Colloidal Silver is being used as a new antimicrobial agent having broad microbial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi (Nauran H Assar and Hayam M Hamuoda,2010). Domestic cleaning products enhanced with antimicrobial silver have been patented (Minner and Eatough 2007). Viral infections make disparate need for the development of safe and potent alternatives to conventional antiviral drugs. In now days, nanoscale materials have emerged as novel antiviral agents for the enormous possibilities offered by their unique chemical and physical properties. Colloidal silver or silver nanoparticle has its own antimicrobial properties to combat all types of viruses including human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, herpes simplex virus, flu virus etc. Our main focus through this review is to literate the people about this rediscovered material and it has antimicrobial properties which will be very much helpful for the society in long run.

Silver as an antimicrobial: facts and gaps in knowledge

Critical Reviews in Microbiology, 2013

Silver has been used for centuries. Today, silver and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used in a wide range of healthcare, food industry, domiciliary applications, and are commonly found in hard surface materials and textiles. Such an extensive use raises questions about its safety, environmental toxicity and the risks associated with microbial resistance and cross-resistance. If the mechanisms of antimicrobial action of ionic silver (Ag + ) have been studied, there is little understanding of AgNPs interactions with microorganisms. There have been excellent reviews on the bacterial resistance mechanisms to silver, but there is a paucity of information on resistance to AgNPs. Silver toxicity and accumulation in the environment has been studied and there is a better understanding of silver concentration and species in different environmental compartments. However, owing to the increased applications of silver and AgNPs, questions remain about the presence and consequences of AgNPs in the environment. This review provides an historical perspective of silver usage, an overview of applications, and combined information of microbial resistance and toxicity. Owing the evidence provided in this review, a call for a better understanding and control of silver usage, and for tighter regulations of silver and AgNPs usage is proposed.

Silver Nanoparticles as Potential Antiviral Agents

Molecules, 2011

Virus infections pose significant global health challenges, especially in view of the fact that the emergence of resistant viral strains and the adverse side effects associated with prolonged use continue to slow down the application of effective antiviral therapies. This makes imperative the need for the development of safe and potent alternatives to conventional antiviral drugs. In the present scenario, nanoscale materials have emerged as novel antiviral agents for the possibilities offered by their unique chemical and physical properties. Silver nanoparticles have mainly been studied for their antimicrobial potential against bacteria, but have also proven to be active against several types of viruses including human imunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, herpes simplex virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and monkey pox virus. The use of metal nanoparticles provides an interesting opportunity for novel antiviral therapies. Since metals may attack a broad range of targets in the virus there is a lower possibility to develop resistance as compared to conventional antivirals. The present review focuses on the development of methods for the production of silver nanoparticles and on their use as antiviral therapeutics against pathogenic viruses.

Reduction of Viral Load in AIDS Patients With Intravenous Mild Silver Protein: 3 Case Reports

Silver is atomic element number 47, with an atomic weight of 108. It is one of the so-called heavy metals, along with lead, mercury, cadmium, and gold. Unlike its heavy metal cousins, silver is surprisingly nontoxic to humans and animals, and has a long history of successful medical and public health use dating back 6000 years. Silver has been used to speed wound healing, treat infections, purify water, and preserve beverages. The ancient Macedonians covered wounds with silver plates to speed healing....

Silver nanoparticles are broad-spectrum bactericidal and virucidal compounds

J …, 2011

The advance in nanotechnology has enabled us to utilize particles in the size of the nanoscale. This has created new therapeutic horizons, and in the case of silver, the currently available data only reveals the surface of the potential benefits and the wide range of applications. Interactions between viral biomolecules and silver nanoparticles suggest that the use of nanosystems may contribute importantly for the enhancement of current prevention of infection and antiviral therapies. Recently, it has been suggested that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) bind with external membrane of lipid enveloped virus to prevent the infection. Nevertheless, the interaction of AgNPs with viruses is a largely unexplored field. AgNPs has been studied particularly on HIV where it was demonstrated the mechanism of antiviral action of the nanoparticles as well as the inhibition the transmission of HIV-1 infection in human cervix organ culture. This review discusses recent advances in the understanding of the biocidal mechanisms of action of silver Nanoparticles.

Silver Nanoparticles: Review of Antiviral Properties, Mechanism of Action and Applications

Microorganisms

New antiviral drugs and new preventive antiviral strategies are a target of intense scientific interest. Thanks to their peculiar properties, nanomaterials play an important role in this field, and, in particular, among metallic materials, silver nanoparticles were demonstrated to be effective against a wide range of viruses, in addition to having a strong antibacterial effect. Although the mechanism of antiviral action is not completely clarified, silver nanoparticles can directly act on viruses, and on their first steps of interaction with the host cell, depending on several factors, such as size, shape, functionalization and concentration. This review provides an overview of the antiviral properties of silver nanoparticles, along with their demonstrated mechanisms of action and factors mainly influencing their properties. In addition, the fields of potential application are analyzed, demonstrating the versatility of silver nanoparticles, which can be involved in several devices a...

Silver in Health Care: Antimicrobial Effects and Safety in Use

Current Problems in Dermatology, 2006

Silver has a long and intriguing history as an antibiotic in human health care. It has been developed for use in water purification, wound care, bone prostheses, reconstructive orthopaedic surgery, cardiac devices, catheters and surgical appliances. Advancing biotechnology has enabled incorporation of ionizable silver into fabrics for clinical use to reduce the risk of nosocomial infections and for personal hygiene. The antimicrobial action of silver or silver compounds is proportional to the bioactive silver ion (Ag ϩ) released and its availability to interact with bacterial or fungal cell membranes. Silver metal and inorganic silver compounds ionize in the presence of water, body fluids or tissue exudates. The silver ion is biologically active and readily interacts with proteins, amino acid residues, free anions and receptors on mammalian and eukaryotic cell membranes. Bacterial (and probably fungal) sensitivity to silver is genetically determined and relates to the levels of intracellular silver uptake and its ability to interact and irreversibly denature key enzyme systems. Silver exhibits low toxicity in the human body, and minimal risk is expected due to clinical exposure by inhalation, ingestion, dermal application or through the urological or haematogenous route. Chronic ingestion or inhalation of silver preparations (especially colloidal silver) can lead to deposition of silver metal/silver sulphide particles in the skin (argyria), eye (argyrosis) and other organs. These are not life-threatening conditions but cosmetically undesirable. Silver is absorbed into the human body and enters the systemic circulation as a protein complex to be eliminated by the liver and kidneys. Silver metabolism is modulated by induction and binding to metallothioneins. This complex mitigates the cellular toxicity of silver and contributes to tissue repair. Silver allergy is a known contra-indication for using silver in medical devices or antibiotic textiles.