Nano-Zinc Oxide Induced Pancreatic Toxicity and The Ameliorating Role of Naringenin: Histological and immunohistochemical study

Abstract

Background: Though Nano-zinc oxide particles (ZnO NPs) are widely applied in biomedicine, bioengineering and cosmetology, a controversy developed between ZnO NPs benefits versus toxicity on biological systems. Naringenin is a natural antioxidant flavonoid. Objective: to explore the histological and immunohistochemical alterations in the rat pancreas following intraperitoneal exposure to two different doses of 35 nm ZnO NPs and to assess the ameliorating role of Naringenin.Materials and Methods: Forty-five adult male rats were split randomly into five groups. Group1 served as control. Groups2 and 4 received a single intraperitoneal injection of 250 and 700 mg/kgbw ZnO NPs. Groups3 and 5 administered ZnO NPs as previously described followed by Naringenin gavaged at a dose of 20mg/kgbw/day once daily for 14 consecutive days. Histological, immunohistochemistry, biochemistry, and morphometry studies were accessed in the pancreatic tissue gained from all animals under the study. Results: Contrasted to the group of control, ZnO NPs exhibited a dose dependent pancreatic tissue and cellular damage manifested as vascular congestion, duct dilatation, fibrosis, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Also, both acinar and B-cells showed degenerating changes varied from just cytoplasmic vacuolization in the ZnO NPs(250mg)-treated rats to severe cell shrinking, pyknosis, cytoplasmic and nuclear fragmentation in the ZnO NPs(700mg)-treated rats. Moreover, ZnO NPs provoked significantly increased mean area percentage of collagen fiber deposition and caspase immunoexpressing, significantly raised fasting blood glucose, serum amylase, lipase and MDA levels besides significant decline regarding insulin immunoexpressing. Naringenin administration induced a great recovery concerning the ZnO NPs (250mg)-treated rats but partial recovery regarding the ZnO NPs (700mg)-treated rats. Conclusion: ZnO NPs potentially persuaded an oxidating stress manifest as structural and functional toxicity in the rat pancreas with great reversibility by Naringenin coadministration. A future work concerning ZnO NPs toxicity on vital organs and Naringenin role in opposing this impact is recommended.