Nano Biomedicine
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Cellular Toxicity of Ultrasmall Silver Nanoparticles Determined via Bioimaging

Nan GO1, Shiki HO1, Ryuhei KANDA2, Koichi IMAI3,
and Masanori HASHIMOTO1


1Department of Oral Health Engineering, Faculty of Health Sciences,
2 Translational Research Institute for Medical Innovation (TRIMI),
3 Osaka Dental University, Osaka, Japan
Nano Biomed 2026; 18(1): 31-38, (Jun 30, Nano Biomedicine)
Synopsis
We compared the cytotoxicity of ultrasmall (6.6 nm) and larger (27.0 nm) silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in RAW264 cells. Cell viability was assessed using the WST-8 assay, and morphological changes were evaluated by fluorescence microscopy (Hoechst, phalloidin, and live/dead staining) and scanning electron microscopy. The ultrasmall AgNPs reduced cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner and exhibited significantly higher toxicity than the larger AgNPs. Furthermore, fluorescence microscopy revealed nuclear deformation and cytoskeletal disruption. These findings indicate that ultrasmall AgNPs exert greater cytotoxic effects than larger AgNPs. In conclusion, biosafety assessments that consider particle size are essential for medical and dental applications of AgNPs.

Key words ultrasmall silver nanoparticle, bioimaging, cytotoxicity, size dependence, cell damage
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DOI: 10.11344/nano.18.31

Go N, Ho S, Kanda R, Imai K, Hashimoto M.Cellular toxicity of ultrasmall silver nanoparticles determined via bioimaging. Nano Biomed 2026; 18: 31-38.