Silver nanoparticles promote neuronal growth

Manipulation of neuronal growth has important applications in regenerative biomedicine and bioengineering. This study demonstrates the use of silver nanoparticles as nanotopographical cues to promote neurite outgrowth in vitro. We find that the silver nanoparticles function as favorable anchoring sites and that the growth on substrates coated with silver nanoparticles leads to a significantly enhanced neurites outgrowth. A comparison with other materials demonstrates a clear silver material-driven promoting role in addition to the nanotopographical effect. Our results, combined with the antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles, propose silver nanoparticles as an attractive nanomaterial with a dual activity for the design of therapeutic platforms for neuronal repair.