Intracellular uptake and associated toxicity of silver nanoparticles in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are frequently used as antimicrobials. While the mechanism(s) by which AgNPs are toxic are unclear, their increasing use raises the concern that release into the environment could lead to environmental toxicity. We characterized the physicochemical behavior, uptake, toxicity (growth inhibition), and mechanism of toxicity of three AgNPs with different sizes and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or citrate coatings to the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.