Silver Nanoparticles’ Bacteriological Inhibitory Effect on PLGA-HA: In Vitro Study

Objective: The aim of this work was to study the bacteriological inhibitory effects and adhesion of Silver Nanoparticles on an implantable polymeric material, PLGA-HA and to evaluate its cellular viability.

Methods: Antimicrobian properties of Silver Nanoparticles and its effects on a biofilm of Enterococcus faecalis grown over PLGA-HA were analyzed. Biofilm inhibition capacity of Silver Nanoparticles applied on copolymer of poly lactic acid-co-glycolic-Hydroxyapatite (PLGA-HA) discs was assessed by CFU counting after bacterial disaggregation from the surfaces and images were analyzed by Scanning Eletronic Microscopy (SEM). An evaluation of silver nanoparticles’ cytotoxicity against human fibroblasts (HDFa) and keratinocytes (HaCat) was done, with a concentration of (2,5; 5,0; 7,5 and 10,0 ppm), by MTT assay. Results for viability were analysed with Anova test and multiple comparison Bonfferoni test (p<0.05).

Results: Silver Nanoparticles displayed biofilm inhibition rates higher than 99%. In relation to cellular viability, these nanoparticles, when comparing with the control group, presented similar results with fibroblasts and the keratinocytes’ lineage, showing the best results when the concentrations were 5,0 ppm. Despite this results, they presented some toxicity in fibroblasts (HDFa) and keratinocytes (HaCat).  

Conclusion: These results indicate that Silver Nanoparticles have a great potential in the treatment of some oral health disorders and can act as physic barriers for regenerative procedures, avoiding the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. However, these nanoparticles showed some toxicity in fibroblasts (HDFa) and keratinocytes (HaCat).