Mansour Almansour

Zinc oxide nanoparticles hepatotoxicity: Histological and histochemical study

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are widely used in industry and cosmetic products with promising investment in medical diagnosis and treatment. However, these particles may reveal a high potential risk for human health with no information about hepatotoxicity that might be associated with their exposure. The present work was carried out to investigate the histological and histochemical alterations induced in the hepatic tissues by naked 35nm ZnO NPs. Male Wistar albino rats were exposed to ZnO NPs at a daily dose of 2mg/kg for 21days. Liver biopsies from all rats under study were subjected to histopathological examinations. In comparison with the control rats, the following histological and histochemical alterations were demonstrated in the hepatic tissues of rats exposed to ZnO NPs: sinusoidal dilatation, Kupffer cells hyperplasia, lobular and portal triads inflammatory cells infiltration, necrosis, hydropic degeneration, hepatocytes apoptosis, anisokaryosis, karyolysis, nuclear membrane irregularity, glycogen content depletion and hemosidrosis. The findings of the present work might indicate that ZnO NPs have potential oxidative stress in the hepatic tissues that may affect the function of the liver. More work is needed to elucidate the toxicity and pathogenesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles on the vital organs.

Ultrastructural hepatocytic alterations induced by silver nanoparticle toxicity

ABSTRACT Silver nanoparticles (SNPs) are widely used in nanomedicine and consuming products with potential risk to human health. While considerable work was carried out on the molecular, biochemical, and physiological alterations induced by these particles, little is known of the ultrastructural pathological alterations that might be induced by nanosilver materials. The aim of the present work is to investigate the hepatocyte ultrastructural alterations that might be induced by SNP exposure. Male rats were subjected to a daily single dose (2 mg/kg) of SNPs (15–35 nm diameter) for 21 days. Liver biopsies from all rats under study were processed for transmission electron microscopy examination. The following hepatic ultrastructural alterations were demonstrated: mitochondria swelling and crystolysis, endoplasmic reticulum disruption, cytoplasmic vacuolization, lipid droplets accumulation, glycogen depletion, karyopyknosis, apoptosis, sinusoidal dilatation, Kupffer cells activation, and myelin figures formation. The current findings may indicate that SNPs can induce hepatocyte organelles alteration, leading to cellular damage that may affect the function of the liver. These findings might indicate that SNPs potentially trigger heptocyte ultrastructural alterations that may affect the function of the liver with potential risk on human health in relation to numerous applications of these particles. More work is needed to elucidate probable ultrastructural alterations in the vital organs that might result from nanosilver toxicity.

Histological and histochemical alterations induced by lead in the liver of the quail Coturnix coturnix.

Adult males of the quail Coturnix coturnix were exposed to lead acetate trihydrate in drinking water (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1% for one–six months) to investigate histological and histochemical alterations induced by lead intoxication in the liver. Chronic exposure to subtoxic concentrations of lead produced changes in hepatocytes, portal veins, Kupffer cells, and blood sinusoids. Alterations in hepatocytes mainly involved cytoplasmic vacuolation, necrosis, cytolysis, and glycogen accumulation. Kupffer cell hyperplasia, hemosiderosis, blood sinusoidal dilatation, portal vein congestion, and edema were also observed. No fibrosis or cirrhosis in the liver of any member of the dose groups over the entire period of the study was noted. The findings revealed that chronic exposure to lead produced mild histological and histochemical changes in the liver of the quail Coturnix coturnix.

Morphometric Alterations Induced by the Toxicity of Variable Sizes of Silver Nanoparticles

Poco se sabe acerca de las alteraciones morfometricas inducidas por la toxicidad de las nanoparticulas de plata (NPP). El objetivo fue investigar el efecto del tamano variable de las NPP en diferentes parametros morfometricos. Ratones machos adultos sanos (BAL/C) fueron sometidos a diferentes NPP de diferentes tamanos durante 35 dias (10 nm, 20 nm, 40 nm 60 nm y 100 nm, respectivamente). Las NPP causaron una disminucion no significativa del peso promedio, una disminucion significativa en el consumo de alimentos, un aumento de la ingesta de agua, ceguera unilateral, cambios en el color de piel y colestasis junto con una disminucion en el tamano promedio del higado, rinon y el peso del bazo, en relacion al peso corporal. Los ratones sometidos a 10 nm y 20 nm fueron mas afectados que los ratones que recibieron las nanoparticulas mas grandes. Estos resultados pueden indicar que las NPP podrian inducir alteraciones morfometricas que estan relacionadas con el tamano, en las cuales las NPP mas pequenas tienen un mayor impacto que las mas grandes.

In vivo investigation on the chronic hepatotoxicity induced by intraperitoneal administration of 10-nm silicon dioxide nanoparticles

Background Silicon dioxide (silica) nanoparticles (SDNPs) are widely used in nanotechnology and medicine, but these nanomaterials may carry a high risk for human health while little is known about their toxicity. Methods We investigated the alterations in morphometry, biochemistry, hematology, histology of liver tissue and gene expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes induced by 10-nm SDNPs. Healthy male Wistar albino rats were exposed to 20, 35 and 50 repeated injections of SDNPs (2 mg/kg body weight). Whole blood, serum and plasma samples were used for hematological and biochemical analyses, whereas liver biopsies were processed for histopathological and gene expression alterations. Results In comparison with control rats, exposure to SDNPs lowered the body weight gain and liver index and increased the counts of white blood cells and platelets, but lowered the platelet larger cell ratio and plateletcrit. Levels of alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, low-density lipids, procalcitonin, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, as well as potassium, phosphorus and iron concentrations, were increased. Histopathology revealed that SDNPs could induce hydropic degeneration, sinusoidal dilatation, hyperplasia of Kupffer cells, karyopyknosis and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the liver. SDNPs reduced the expression of 12 genes of drug-metabolizing enzymes significantly (p<0.05). Conclusion These results suggest that SDNPs could cause alterations in morphometry, biochemistry, hematology, liver tissues and the expression of drug-metabolizing enzyme genes.

Protective role of propolis against histological alterations in renal tissue induced by gold nanoparticles

Male albino Wistar rats were exposed to 10 nm gold nanoparticles at a dose of 2000 μg/kg together with or without propolis (50 mg/kg) for 15 consecutive days. Fresh renal biopsies from of all investigated rats were cut rapidly, fixed in neutral buffered formalin, subjected to histological processing, and examined for microanatomical alterations. Propolis gave full protection against glomerular congestion and renal tubule hyaline casts. It demonstrated partial amelioration against glomerular capillary dilatation, tubular cloudy swelling, necrosis, and degeneration together with interstitial blood capillaries dilatation and haemorrhage induced by nanoparticle toxicity. On the other hand, propolis showed no protective effect against renal cells pyknosis, karyolysis, apoptosis and renal hydropic degeneration together with collecting tubules atrophy and degeneration induced by the nanoparticles. Thus propolis can augment the antioxidant defence against the severity of some alterations in the renal tissues. This ameliorative role might be related to the antioxidants content of propolis that protect the renal tissues from free radicals and oxidative stress.

Propolis Protective Role Against Morphological, Hormonal Biochemical and Histological Alterations Induced by Sildenafil Overdoses

El sildenafil es un medicamento ampliamente utilizado para el tratamiento de la disfuncion erectil y existen pocos estudios disponibles referente a la funcion protectora del propoleo contra su toxicidad reproductiva. El objetivo fue investigar las alteraciones hormonales, bioquimicas e histomorfometricas, inducidas en los tejidos testiculares por sobredosis de sildenafil. Cuatro grupos de conejos fueron expuestos a sildenafil con o sin propoleo de la siguiente manera: grupo I recibio el sildenafil formulado, grupo II recibio sildenafil (3 mg/kg), grupo III recibio propoleo (50 mg/kg) y el grupo IV recibio sildenafil mas propoleo. El sildenafil redujo el peso corporal, la testosterona y la concentracion de la hormona foliculoestimulante, sin embargo, se observo un aumento del indice testicular mientras que la hormona luteinizante casi no se vio afectada. Por otra parte, los conejos tratados con sildenafil mostraron degeneracion de los tubulos seminiferos, trastornos de la espermatogenesis y alteraciones nucleares de los espermatocitos. Con el uso de sildenafil mas propoleo fue posible disminuir las alteraciones de los tubulos seminiferos, los trastornos de la espermatogenesis y los niveles de cambios hormonales; los espermatocitos fueron protegidos parcialmente de alteraciones nucleares morfologicas, pero no pudo mejorar el efecto de aumento de peso corporal e indice testicular. Los resultados indican que el propoleo puede aliviar, en parte, la toxicidad en la reproduccion inducida por sobredosis de sildenafil. No obstante, existe la necesidad de realizar mas estudios sobre los efectos adversos de estas dosis en otros organos vitales.

Pulmonary Histological Alterations Induced by 20 nm Silver Nanoparticles

Silver nanoparticles (SNPs) are widely invested in nanomedicine and consuming products due to their unique antimicrobial properties. However, little is known about the toxicity of these particles on human health. The present investigation was carried out to investigate the histological alterations induced in the lung tissues by 20±5 nm SNPs. Male albino Wistar rats were exposed to SNPs at a daily dose of 2 mg/kg for 21 days. Lung biopsies from all rats under study were subjected to histopathological examinations. Exposure to 20±5 nm SNPs induced the following pulmonary alterations: thickened alveolar wall, macrophages invasion and inflammatory cells infiltration, lymphatic follicles enlargement, pulmonary edema, alveolar hypersensitivity and interstitial congestion. Occasional atelectasis and fibrocytes proliferation were also detected. The findings of the present work might indicate that SNPs potentially trigger oxidative stress and alterations in the pulmonary tissues that may affect the function of the lungs.