Toxic Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Liver and Some Hematological Parameters in Male and Female Mice (Mus musculus)

Abstract

This research was carried out to evaluate toxic effects of nanosilver (Ag-NPs) on liver function and some blood parameters of male and female mice Mus musculus. A group of 54 BALB/c mice was randomly divided into three groups (each with two replications): Ag-NP (2) and control (1), each with nine mice. The experiment lasted for 14 days. In the treatment groups, two different doses of 20 and 50 ppm of Ag-NP solution were administered orally, while in the untreated (control) group, no Ag-NP solution but distilled water was used. At the end of the experiment, the serum was obtained by centrifugation of the whole blood at 3000 rpm for 15 min. The biochemical levels including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), and blood cells were assayed by an automatic biochemical analyzer. Also, liver biopsy was performed and samples were stained using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The values of red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), and hematocrit (Hct) did not vary significantly in the control and Ag-NP-treated animals. There were significant changes in the treatment and control groups in the levels of liver enzymes so that at both doses, there were significantly elevated levels of ALT and AST in mice treated with Ag-NPs compared with the control (p < 0.05). Sexuality was not significantly involved in the results. Oral exposure to Ag-NPs produced changes in blood chemistry and hepatotoxicity as indicated by increased serum activity levels of both AST and ALT and histological damages to the liver with no significant changes between male and female mice.