RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Silver sulfadiazine (SSD) has been widely used in burned patients for the prevention of local infections. To be biologically active and exert antimicrobial properties, silver needs to be present in the form of silver ions (Ag1+) that bind to negatively charged proteins, namely, the RNA and DNA in microorganisms. However, previous published studies conducted with SSD in the 1990s reported a high level of silver absorption through damaged skin and noted the potential cytotoxicity of Ag1+ to human cells. SSD toxicity, however, had been described in cell cultures using arbitrary silver concentrations. In the present study, we determined the serum silver levels in burned patients treated with SSD and, taking into account the molar Ag1+ concentrations found in these patients, we evaluated the Ag1+ toxicity effects on inflammatory cells (ROS and cytokine production) in vitro. METHODS: Twenty patients with an average burned body surface area of 27.68% were included in this study. RESULTS: Patients' Ag1+ serum levels reached up to 558 times those of the unexposed controls. Ag1+ was then added to inflammatory cells in vitro at levels up to 2000 times the level of the control, and there was no effect on the viability of the cells nor on the rate of apoptosis. We observed a decrease in reactive oxygen species production by mononuclear (MN) and polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells, as well as a substantial decrease in cytokines IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α production by leukocytes (MN and PNM). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that Ag1+ may contribute to negative outcomes after burns, decreasing the primary defense mechanism (respiratory burst) and altering cytokine production.