The Protective Effect of Pomegranate Juice in Silver Nanoparticles Induced Hepatotoxicity in Mature Male Albino Mice

This study aimed to evaluate the toxic effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the parotid glands (PGs) of albino rats histologically and ultrastructurally and assess the possible protective effect of ascorbic acid as an antioxidant. Thirty male albino rats weighing between 150 mg and 200 mg were divided into three groups: the control group (C1) contained 10 rats that received 2 mg/kg (body weight (bw)) of aqueous nitrate buffer by intraperitoneal (IP) injection daily for 28 days; the AgNPs group contained 10 rats that received 2 mg/kg (bw) IP AgNPs daily for 28 days; and the AgNPs-vitamin C group contained 10 albino rats that received 2 mg/kg (bw) AgNPs IP daily for 28 days with oral administration of 100 mg/kg (bw) vitamin C in drinking water daily for 28 days. The PG acinar and ductal cells of the AgNPs group showed signs of toxicity and degeneration characterized as pleomorphic nuclei, binucleation, cytoplasmic vacuolations, and stagnated secretion in the ductal lumen. In addition to degenerated mitochondria, dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum and lysosomes were filled with AgNPs ( p < 0.001). The AgNPs-vitamin C group showed significantly less degenerative changes histologically and ultrastructurally compared to the AgNPs group ( p = 0.002). AgNPs produced significant toxic effects on the PG of albino rats, presumably through the generation of reactive oxygen species and toxic ion release, and administration of vitamin C was shown effective in decreasing these toxic effects.

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Mitochondrial Peptide Humanin Protects Silver Nanoparticles-Induced Neurotoxicity in Human Neuroblastoma Cancer Cells (SH-SY5Y)

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20184439 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (18) ◽

pp. 4439 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gurunathan ◽

Jeyaraj ◽

Kang ◽

Kim

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Silver Nanoparticles ◽

Protective Effect ◽

Anticancer Agents ◽

Membrane Integrity ◽

Neuroblastoma Cells ◽

Human Beings ◽

Human Neuroblastoma ◽

Cellular Effects ◽

Harmful Effects

The extensive usage of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as medical products such as antimicrobial and anticancer agents has raised concerns about their harmful effects on human beings. AgNPs can potentially induce oxidative stress and apoptosis in cells. However, humanin (HN) is a small secreted peptide that has cytoprotective and neuroprotective cellular effects. The aim of this study was to assess the harmful effects of AgNPs on human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and also to investigate the protective effect of HN from AgNPs-induced cell death, mitochondrial dysfunctions, DNA damage, and apoptosis. AgNPs were prepared with an average size of 18 nm diameter to study their interaction with SH-SY5Y cells. AgNPs caused a dose-dependent decrease of cell viability and proliferation, induced loss of plasma-membrane integrity, oxidative stress, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and loss of ATP content, amongst other effects. Pretreatment or co-treatment of HN with AgNPs protected cells from several of these AgNPs induced adverse effects. Thus, this study demonstrated for the first time that HN protected neuroblastoma cells against AgNPs-induced neurotoxicity. The mechanisms of the HN-mediated protective effect on neuroblastoma cells may provide further insights for the development of novel therapeutic agents against neurodegenerative diseases.

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