Alterations in reproductive parameters and gene expression in Balb/c mice testes after exposure to silver nanoparticles

Abstract

Mammalian spermatogenesis starts shortly after birth from spermatogonial stem cells, which have the ability to self-renew, followed by differentiation of spermatogonia and the ultimate production of spermatozoa. The complex process of spermatogenesis is highly sensitive to environmental insults, such as exposure to chemical and physical factors. Nanoparticles (NPs) are defined as substances with a diameter in the range of 1-100 nm (Beer, Foldbjerg, Hayashi, Sutherland, & Autrup, 2012). Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) are commonly used in consumer products such as mobile phones, toothbrushes, medical instruments, scalpels and wound bandages, due to their antibacterial properties (Liu et al., 2018; Yoshida et al., 2018). Despite the widespread utility of NPs, emerging evidence suggests that excessive NP use may be hazardous to human health. NPs have been shown to easily traverse through biological membranes, including blood-brain and blood-testis barriers (Dubas

Putative adverse outcome pathways for silver nanoparticle toxicity on mammalian male reproductive system: a literature review

“…It has been shown that Ag NPs within the intracellular space has the potential to cause mitochondrial dysfunction by the depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane [ 97 , 99 ]. Wang et al reported damaged mitochondria in the testis upon Ag NP exposure to Balb/c mice [ 100 ]. These findings support the hypothesis in the biological plausibility perspective that Ag NPs interact with the thiol groups of the biomolecules, causing disruptions in the antioxidant system and thus triggering oxidative stress.…”

“…Moreover, several in vivo studies demonstrate alterations in apoptosis-related gene expressions, increased ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 expressions ( 90 , 93 , 100 , 113 , 114 ) and mitochondria-dependent intrinsic apoptotic pathway in testes [ 93 , 113 ]. An extensive gene expression analysis conducted on 383 genes by microarray shows great changes in apoptosis-related genes and proteins (caspase3 and Myc).…”

Study of the mechanism of mitochondrial division and mitochondrial autophagy in the male reproductive toxicity induced by nickel nanoparticles

“…Spermatogenesis is a long-term complex developmental process, 50 and any component changes may affect sperm development and maturation, resulting in abnormal sperm morphology and hypofunction. 51 Therefore, the normal histopathological structure of the testes is the basic requirement for long-term reproductive health.…”

Seminal trace elements and their relationship with sperm parameters

“…Silver is used in water filtration, jewellery, solar panels, electrical contacts, conductors, coatings, chemical reactions and a colourant in glass. The studies about silver is mainly on nanoparticle exposure which reported a significant decrease in sperm motility and normal sperm morphology in rats (Baki et al, 2014) and decreased sperm production and changed testis morphology in mice (Wang et al, 2021) and induced oxidative stress in testis and epididymis; which adversely affect sperm parameters in rats and mice (Olugbodi et al, 2020). There is no previous study in the literature observing the correlation of Ag amount with sperm parameters.…”