الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Nanotechnology is a very promising field. Nickel oxide NPs (NiONPs) are widely used in all areas of life. However, the adverse effects of NiONPs were documented. NiONPs toxicity is mainly mediated by oxidative stress conditions. Apigenin (APG) is a naturally occurring polyphenol with antioxidative properties. Thus, the present work aimed to investigate the preventive effect of APG against NiONPs-induced toxicity in rats. Adult male albino rats were equally divided into four main groups; the controls and those daily administered with 25 mg/kg APG alone (APG group), 100 mg/kg NiONPs alone (NiONPs group), and 25 mg APG 1h prior to 100 mg NiONPs (APG+NiONPs group), for 28 days. Blood, hepatic and renal tissues were collected by the 7th, 14th, and 28th days of treatment for hematological, serum biochemical, oxidative stress, Ni levels, histological, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations. In NiONPs group, as compared to controls, remarkable declines in the hemoglobin level, packed cell volume, red blood cell count, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total proteins, albumin, globulin and glutathione levels and superoxide dismutase activity were detected. Furthermore, NiONPs group showed significant increases in the white blood cell count, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, creatinine, urea, blood urea nitrogen, malondialdehyde, and Ni levels as well as transaminases activities. The hepatic and renal tissue of NiONPs group showed remarkable histological disturbances. Subcellular alterations were also observed in the liver and kidney of NiONPs group. Inversely, APG markedly attenuated the NiONPs-induced alterations in all the studied parameters. In conclusion, administering 25 mg/kg of APG daily can prevent the NiONP-induced toxicity in male Wistar rats. |