Background: The aim of this study was to explore the effect of oral administration of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and identify potential role of alteration of antioxidant/oxidants and their effect on teratogenic effects in the female albino rat.
Methods: eighteen female rats were used to assess the acute effects of AgNPs. Rats in the treatment group were gavaged with 1 mL AgNPs, dissolved in di-ionized water, at doses of 0, 50 and 100 mg/ kg of body weight on 6th to 15th day of gestation of pregnant female albino rats. After 20 days of gestation, female rats were euthanized, examined grossly after dissection and feti were stored in ethyl alcohol and poin’s solution for skeletal and visceral malformation detection.
Results: silver nanoparticles at dose dependent decrease significantly fetal body weight and length and enhanced skeletal malformation. The induction of skeletal abnormalities could be happen as imbalance of oxidant/ antioxidant levels as oxidant such as MDA was increased in liver in treated groups when compared to control one and also in placenta only at group 2. Nitric oxide, GSH and SOD1levels were increased significantly in liver of treated groups only. Notably, infiltration of neutrophil in placenta tissue could also affect placenta and fetal growth.
Conclusions: silver nanoparticles had a teratogenic effect in female albino rats that could be resulted from imbalance of oxidant/ antioxidant levels and pathological features in the placenta of dams.