Nanosilver to prevent blood clots?

Scientists at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) claim to have discovered a new potential alternative to aspirin and other anti-platelet agents used widely to prevent blood clots in coronary artery disease and stroke.

The scientists, led by Debabrata Dash, Head, Department of Biochemistry BHU, said lab testing of silver nanoparticles seemed to keep platelets in an inactive state.

"Nanosilver is already known to have antibacterial property. However, ours is the first ever discovery that nanosilver also possesses significant anti-platelet property," Dash said.

His research showed that nanoparticles of silver strongly inhibit formation of platelet aggregates and keep the silver nanoparticles in an inactive state.

"Low levels of the nanosilver, injected into mice, reduced the ability of platelets to clump together by as much as 40 per cent with no apparent harmful side effects," Dash said.

The scientists through their research have also highlighted that the silver nanoparticles are more effective than traditional ways to treat clot formation.

Traditional drugs used to prevent platelet aggregate formation in case of stroke and heart attack individually block the specific pathways of platelet aggregation.

"None of these drugs completely prevent platelet activation, as an element of redundancy in their functions always remains.

"In contrast, nanosilver prevents platelet aggregate formation at the final common point. Thus, nanosilver, we believe, is more effective technically than any of these drugs in preventing platelet aggregation," Dash said.

For study the BHU group isolated platelets from human blood and divided them into two groups.

One group was controlled and the other group was treated with different concentrations of nanosilver. Then they stimulated the platelets with thrombin and observed various platelet functional parameters like aggregation, adhesion, secretion and clot retraction.

Nanosilver inhibited all of them dramatically in a concentration-dependent manner. In subsequent experiment, they injected nanosilver into mice and studied platelet activity in it. They found a dramatic fall in platelet activity in mice which were injected with nanosilver.

The researchers also point that nanoparticles also hold immense potential in managing heart diseases.

Dash's research was supported by grant from Department of Biotechnology and will be published in June 23 issue of 'ACS Nano', a journal published by American Chemical Society.