Evaluation of the Cytotoxicity of Silver-Doped Iron Oxide Nanoparticles of Various Modifications on Cell Cultures In Vitro

Introduction. Modifying iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₂O₃ NPs) with silver enables new developments in medicine. It is also known that different temperature treatments of NPs lead to the formation of different crystalline phases of iron oxide, which ultimately influences cellular processes. The presence of promising developments in the field of medicine does not exclude the need to study the biosafety of these materials for the patient's body and medical personnel.The aim of the study was to investigate the cytotoxicity of three types of Fe₂O₃ NP samples ligated with silver in cell cultures.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted on MDCK and Vero cell cultures, which were exposed to silver-ligated NPs followed by stepwise annealing: Fe₂O₃ S0 NPs — without additional heat treatment; Fe₂O₃ S200 NPs — annealed at 200°C; Fe₂O₃ S500 NPs — at 500°C. The cytotoxicity of the NPs was assessed using monolayer morphological analysis and the MTT assay.

Results. The Fe₂O₃ S0 NP sample at a concentration of 200 μg/ml exhibited the greatest morphological changes, causing significant destruction of the cell monolayer in both cell types: a score of 3 on Vero cells and a score of 4 on MDCK cells. Fe₂O₃ S200 and Fe₂O₃ S500 NPs exhibited significantly lower toxicity and produced a noticeable morphological effect only at a concentration of 400 μg/ml. The MTT assay results for both cell lines demonstrated low to moderate toxicity of the studied NPs in the concentration range up to 200 μg/ml.

Conclusion. Thus, the firing temperature during the synthesis of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles may be a key factor in the toxicity of the material, affecting its interaction with cell cultures. The discrepancies in the results of the MTT test and cell morphology are related to the specific nature of the tests and require further scientific research with the selection of protocols and analysis methods. 

Сontribution:
Fedotova O.S. — study concept and design, editing;
Tambovtseva E.A. — data processing, writing;
Davidenko A.M. — data processing;
Zakharova Yu.A., Ulitko M.V. — editing.
All authors — approved the final version of the article and are responsible for the integrity of all its parts.

Funding source. This study was not supported by any external sources of funding.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no apparent or potential conflicts of interest related to the publication of this article.

Received: 07.07.2025 / Accepted: 24.07.2026 / Published: 10.08.2026

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