Administration of Silver Nasal Spray Leads to Nanoparticle Accumulation in Rat Brain Tissues

The use of commercial products containing engineered nanomaterials in realistic scenarios may lead to the accumulation of exogenous particles in brain tissues. In this study, we simulated the use of silver (Ag) nasal spray in humans using Sprague–Dawley rats at 0.04 mg/kg/day. Silver-containing particles were explicitly identified in the rat brain after the administration of nasal sprays containing colloidal Ag or silver ions (Ag+) for 2 weeks using multiple methods. The accumulation of Ag-containing particles showed a delayed effect in different brain regions of the rats, with the mass concentration of particles increasing continuously for 1–2 weeks after the termination of administration. The size of the observed Ag-containing particles extracted from the brain tissues ranged from 18.3 to 120.4 nm. Further characterization by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy showed that the nanoparticles comprised both Ag and sulfur (S), with Ag/S atomic ratios of 1.1–7.1, suggesting that Ag-containing particles went through a series of transformations prior to or during their accumulation in the brain. Collectively, these findings provide evidence for the accumulation and transformation of Ag-containing particles in the rat brain, indicating a realistic risk to brain health resulting from the application of Ag-containing commercial products.