Determining the Bacterial Cytotoxicity of Silver Nanomaterials: Scientific Operating Procedure Series: Toxicity (T)
Abstract
Materials at the nanoscale have physiochemical properties that differ from their bulk material. Consequently, the growing use of nanomaterials in industrial and consumer products raise important questions about their environmental fate. The potential cytotoxic effects on microbial communities is an important safety and material life cycle consideration, as microorganisms play a vital role in environmental nutrient cycling, influence health, and disease of plants and animals, including humans. This Scientific Operating Procedure (SOP) describes a set of methods to determine the cytotoxic effects of nanomaterials on bacteria. Initial growth effects, including minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), can be monitored by a standardized microplate broth dilution assay when the nanomaterials stay suspended and do not inhibit optical density (OD) measurements. When these requirements are not met, a solid agar dilution plate MIC assay can be used whereby toxicity is determined by colony counts on agar plates. A standard minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assay is also detailed and can elucidated the mode of action of nanomaterials that have an MIC.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1076428
Entities
People
- Alan James Kennedy
- Brittany Twibell
- Marshal Blank
- Paul B. Schweiger
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center