Ameliorative effect of biosynthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles using garlic extract on the body weight and developmental toxicity of liver in albino rats compared with chemically synthesized nanoparticles.

The application of metallic nanoparticles poses risks to human and animal health. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiONPs) are the most commonly synthesized metallic oxides in the world. Exposure to TiONPs can cause toxicity in the target organisms. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of green and chemical TiONPs on maternal and embryo-fetal livers. Green TiONPs using garlic extract (GTiONPs) and chemical TiONPs (CHTiONPs) were synthesized and characterized by x-ray powder diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The cytotoxicity of both chemical and green TiONPs was determined against HepG 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 CHTiONPs, respectively. Groups 4 and 5 were orally treated with 100 and 300 mg/kg of GTiONPs, 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 TiONPs, and the produced NPs have no toxic effect against HepG cells compared with CHTiONPs. The maternal and fetal bodyweights were greatly reduced among the chemically TiONPs induced animals. The mean serum level of AST and ALT activities and the total protein level significantly increased when TiONPs were administered at high doses. Histologically, the CHTiONPs-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 TiONPs using garlic extract had a minimal effect on the normal architecture of the liver. It could be concluded that the bioactivity of TiONPs can be modified by green synthesis using garlic extract. Compared to the CHTiONPs, the exposure to GTiONPs showed reduced liver damage in maternal and embryo-fetal rats.