Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on the Serum Parameters in Mice

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of silver nanoparticles on some serum parameters in mice. Materials and Methods: Forty mice, including twenty male and twenty female, were randomly divided into eight groups: C1 and C2 (male and female control groups, respectively), T1, T2 and T3 (male treatment groups), T4, T5 and T6 (female treatment groups). After the acclimatization period, the treatment groups were gavaged for 15 days with silver nanoparticles solution, whose daily dose was 3 mg/kg for T1 and T4 groups, 300 mg/kg for T2 and T5 groups, and 1000 mg/ kg for T3 and T6 groups. Then, serum samples were collected and tested for total cholesterol, triglyceride, urea and creatinine by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results: While the serum urea levels were noticeably high among T4 and T6 groups (P = .05), they were significantly lower in T2 and T3 groups (P = .05). All serum triglyceride levels in T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 groups were considerably low (P = .05). There were no significant differences in serum creatinine levels between the groups (P = .05). The serum cholesterol levels were significantly low in T1 and T4 groups, however they were pointedly higher in T2 and T6 groups (P = .05). Conclusion: No change in serum creatinine levels, positive decrease in serum triglyceride levels, erratic alteration in serum cholesterol levels and different effect of silver nanoparticles on serum urea levels in female and male mice were found in this study.