Behavioral effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles on the brain of rats

Abstract

Recent studies showed that zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) can cause toxic damage to the central nervous system (CNS) after intraperitoneal injection; however, the behavioral effects of ZnO-NPs have not been fully investigated. This study aimed to resolve these discrepancies by examining the effects of poly(ethylene glycol)-based on the ZnO-NPs on antioxidant status in healthy rats. The structural, morphology and size characterization of nanoparticles were studied by applying techniques like XRD and TEM. Intraperitoneal injection of ZnO-NPs at a concentration of 25 mg/kg /day had no significant effect on the brain catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and reduced glutathione content (GSH). Treatment with the 100 mg/kg dose of ZnO nanoparticles significantly increased brain MDA (P < 0.01), and significantly decreased brain catalase activity (P < 0.05), and brain superoxide dismutase activity (P < 0.05) compared to the control group. The high doses of ZnO-NPs caused prominent changes to brain histology. The results suggest that ZnO-NPs could induce behavioral changes and brain histological changes.