Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are one of the most popular nanotechnologies because of their unique antibacterial and antifungal properties. Given their increasing use in a wide range of commercial, biomedical and food products, exposure to Ag-NPs is now a reality in people’s lives. However, there is a serious lack of information regarding their potential toxic effects in the central nervous system. In this study, we investigated the biocompatibility of “homemade” Ag-NPs in an in vitro model of human neurons derived from dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells. Our results showed that acute exposure to Ag-NPs cause cytotoxicity, by triggering cell apoptosis, damaging neuronal connections, affecting the mitochondrial activity and changing the mRNA expression level of MT3 and OSGIN2, two genes involved in heavy metals metabolism and cellular growth during oxidative stress conditions. Further studies are needed to understand the molecular mechanisms and the physiological consequences underlying Ag-NPs exposure.

银纳米颗粒（Ag-NPs）由于其独特的抗菌和抗真菌特性而成为最受欢迎的纳米技术之一。鉴于它们越来越广泛地用于商业，生物医学和食品中，因此暴露于银纳米颗粒已成为人们生活中的现实。然而，关于它们在中枢神经系统中潜在的毒性作用的信息严重缺乏。在这项研究中，我们研究了在牙髓间充质干细胞衍生的人类神经元体外模型中“自制” Ag-NPs的生物相容性。我们的结果表明，急性暴露于Ag-NPs会触发细胞凋亡，破坏神经元连接，影响线粒体活性并改变MT3和mRNA的mRNA表达水平，从而引起细胞毒性。OSGIN2是在氧化应激条件下参与重金属代谢和细胞生长的两个基因。需要进一步的研究来了解暴露于Ag-NPs的分子机制和生理后果。