Morphological comparative assessment of in vivo 2-week oral exposure of silver nanoparticles and silver sulfate on the mice liver

Abstract

Currently the problem of the impact of nanoparticles and nanomaterials on human health remains to be poorly understood. As in our studies of the impact of silver nanoparticles on rats liver as well in works of other researchers there were investigated morphofunctional indices under peroral exposure. Although all researchers took different sizes, doses and concentrations of silver nanoparticles, various exposure time and different stabilizers, the same effects had been obtained, which, however, were occurred under both different doses and time of exposure. However, it was interesting to compare the impact of silver nanoparticles with reference substance - silver sulfate on the mice liver with the previously evaluated effect produced on the rats ’ liver. By ourselves there was executed the morphological comparative evaluation of in vivo oral 2-weeks exposure of 4 concentrations (0.1; 5; 50 and 500 mg/l) of silver nanoparticles with size of 14 nm, stable arabian gum 1:7 by weight, and of 4 similar concentrations of silver sulfate on the liver of male mice СВАхС57В1/6 weighing 25-35g. 2 groups were considered as control: intact mice and mice received gum in water. Results of the exposure were assessed according to 10 morphological and functional indices. The impact of nanosilver was shown to initiate from its concentration of 50 mg/l and to express in the gain of the index of alteration of the cytoplasm of hepatocytes with the increasing in both severity of steatosis and the number of micronecroses, persisting at the same level at concentrations of 500 mg/l and with the elevation of the index of alteration of nuclei of hepatocytes, while the similar effect develops under the influence of silver sulfate at a concentration of 500 mg/l only. The remaining investigated morphofunctional indices did not differ significantly in all groups of mice. Unlike previously executed studies on rats, mice appeared to be sensitive to the effects of nano-silver more than to silver sulfate.