Evaluation of the toxic influence of hydrozol of silver nanoparticles stabilized by pectin on the rat organism in a subsystem experiment

Vasilkevich V.M.¹, Mikhailova N.N.¹, Kryzh T.I.¹, Bogdanov R.V.¹, Hileuskaya K.S.², Kraskovski A.N.²

¹Republican Unitary Enterprise “Scientific and Practical Centre of Hygiene”, Minsk, Republic of Belarus
²State Scientific Institution “Institute of Chemistry of New Materials of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus”,
Minsk, Republic of Belarus

Introduction. The priority types of nanomaterials from the point of view of the prospects of their use in medicine, pharmaceutical and food industries, in agriculture, in the production of consumer goods are silver nanoparticles with antimicrobial properties and high biological activity. The variety of methods for producing nanoparticles with various stabilizers leads to the change of their physicochemical properties, which creates new risks for humans and the environment, which should be taken into account when assessing their safety.

The aim of the study was to study the toxic effect of hydrosol of silver nanoparticles stabilized by pectin in a subacute experiment.

Materials and research methods. The object of the study was hydrosol of silver nanoparticles stabilized by pectin (13,0±7,0 nm), which were synthesized by Belarusian scientists in compliance with the principles of "green chemistry". The experiments were performed on white rats with intragastric administration of hydrosol at a dose of 1000 mg / kg in a 28-day experiment. At the end of the experiment, a number of integral and biochemical indicators characterizing the state of separate systems and organs were determined.

Results. In the experiment, when exposed to silver nanoparticles stabilized by pectin, there were no external signs of intoxication and animal death, which did not allow to calculate a cumulation coefficient and indicates a their weak cumulative activity (according to the Classification by L.I. Medved, 1964). The increase in serum activity of glutathione transferase and glutathione reductase by 36.4% and 50,6% (p ˂ 0,05), respectively, was established. In addition, there was the increase in the content of SH-groups by 17, 5% (p<0, 05), providing inactivation of free radicals. Against the background of development of changes in the antioxidant system, deviations (р<0,05) of a number of indicators of the immune response were observed: 2,5-fold increase in the level of specific leukocyte lysis, the value of the phagocytic reserve, and 2,2-fold increase in the rate of restoration of granulocytes of nitro blue tetrazolium to formazan (HCT test).

Conclusions. Hydrosol of silver nanoparticles stabilized by pectin in a subacute experiment with 28-day intragastric administration at a dose of 1000 mg/kg does not show any cumulative properties at the level of lethal effects, but causes a general toxic effect with primary changes in the glutathione antioxidant system and in activation of phagocytic and metabolic activity of granulocyte macrophage blood cells of experimental animals.

Keywords: silver nanoparticles, pectin, subacute toxicity, toxicological studies

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