Protective effects of Nigella sativa L. seeds aqueous extract-based silver nanoparticles on sepsis-induced damages in rats

Abstract

Due to the distinctive characteristics of nanoscale systems, there is an increasing enthusiasm for creating and formulating innovative solutions. Various medicinal plants and plant nanoparticles have demonstrated the ability to mitigate the detrimental impacts of sepsis through their beneficial properties. Sepsis is a critical medical condition triggered by an uncontrolled reaction of the body to an infectious agent like multidrug-resistant bacteria. Despite the progress made in recent times, sepsis continues to be a major contributor to illness and death, imposing a substantial burden on a global scale. This condition impacts individuals of all age ranges, with clinical results primarily relying on a prompt diagnosis and suitable early therapeutic intervention. Throughout this study, a sustainable method was employed for the production of AgNPs using the aqueous extract of Nigella sativa L. seeds to assess its protective efficacies on sepsis-induced DNA damage in rats. The nanoparticles were analyzed using FT-IR, TEM, and UV–Vis techniques, revealing a spherical morphology (10.17–36.42 nm). During the in vivo investigation, the subjects were divided into four distinct groups: sepsis-induced, control, AgNPs-20, AgNPs-40, AgNPs-80, and AgNPs-160. Treatment with AgNPs led to a notable reduction in damages of liver, kidney, lung, stomach and duodenum (p < 0.01). The sepsis-induced group exhibited a notably higher level of tissues MDA compared to the sham group (p < 0.01). However, the AgNPs treated groups reduced the levels of tissues MDA and increased the levels of tissues SOD and GSH (p < 0.01). The expression levels of TNF-α mRNA and IL-1β mRNA were reduced in the rats treated by silver nanoparticles (p < 0.01).