Abstract
The application of metallic nanoparticles poses risks to human and animal health. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO(2)NPs) are the most commonly synthesized metallic oxides in the world. Exposure to TiO(2)NPs can cause toxicity in the target organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of green and chemical TiO(2)NPs on maternal and embryo-fetal livers. Green TiO(2)NPs using garlic extract (GTiO(2)NPs) and chemical TiO(2)NPs (CHTiO(2)NPs) were synthesized and characterized by x-ray powder diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The cytotoxicity of both chemical and green TiO(2)NPs was determined against HepG(2) cell lines. Fifty pregnant female Albino rats were equally and randomly divided into five groups. Group 1 was kept as a control. Groups 2 and 3 were orally treated with 100 and 300 mg/kg body weight of CHTiO(2)NPs, respectively. Groups 4 and 5 were orally treated with 100 and 300 mg/kg of GTiO(2)NPs, respectively, from day 6 to 19 of gestation. All dams were euthanized on gestation day 20. All live fetuses were weighed and euthanized. Blood and tissue samples were collected for biochemical, histopathological, and Bax-immunohistochemical expression analyses. Our results indicated that garlic could be used as a reducing agent for the synthesis of TiO(2)NPs, and the produced NPs have no toxic effect against HepG(2) cells compared with CHTiO(2)NPs. The maternal and fetal bodyweights were greatly reduced among the chemically TiO(2)NPs induced animals. The mean serum level of AST and ALT activities and the total protein level significantly increased when TiO(2)NPs were administered at high doses. Histologically, the CHTiO(2)NPs-treated groups revealed vacuolated and necrotized hepatocytes with congested and dilated blood vessels in the fetal and maternal livers. The immunohistochemistry revealed distinct positive staining of Bax expressed in the hepatocytes. Nevertheless, the biosynthesis of TiO(2)NPs using garlic extract had a minimal effect on the normal architecture of the liver. It could be concluded that the bioactivity of TiO(2)NPs can be modified by green synthesis using garlic extract. Compared to the CHTiO(2)NPs, the exposure to GTiO(2)NPs showed reduced liver damage in maternal and embryo-fetal rats.