The biocompatibility of the surface-functionalized silver nanowires has been investigated in two cell lines. It was found that the functionalized silver nanowires with 200 nm diameter and length up to a few mu m can be internalized by cells. The cytotoxicity of the silver nanowires was found to depend on their surface modifications. It was also demonstrated that the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) could be measured on the silver nanowires, which added additional functionality to the silver nanowires.