Antioxidant and hepatoprotective role of gold nanoparticles against murine hepatic schistosomiasis

Abstract

In recent years, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have become the focus of much attention in biomedical research, especially in the context of nanomedicine, due to their distinctive physicochemical properties. The current study was planned to assess the effect of three dose levels of AuNPs on the gene expression, histology, and oxidative stress status of Schistosoma mansoni -infected mice liver. Inoculation of mice with 100 μL AuNPs at different doses (0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg mice body weight) twice on day 46 and day 49 postinfection reduced the total worm burden, the egg load in the liver, and the granuloma size. AuNPs also appeared to decrease the activities of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide significantly, and increase the level of glutathione compared to the infected untreated group. Concomitantly, AuNPs ameliorated the inflammatory response by decreasing the mRNA expression of interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. These consistent molecular, histopathological, and biochemical data suggest that AuNPs could ameliorate infection-induced damage in the livers of mice. Our results indicated that AuNPs are effective anti-schistosomal and antioxidant agents. Further confirmation of the role of nanogold as an anti-schistosomal agent, as well as its mechanism of action, requires further studies to be undertaken in the future.

Therapeutic effect of gold nanoparticles on DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice with reference to interleukin-17 expression

“…AuNPs interact strongly with the cell membrane 54 as well as also being internalized and trapped in endosomes 55 . Moreover, AuNPs ameliorated the inflammatory response by decreasing the mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and inducible nitric oxide synthase 56 . Gold Nano-constructs are readily taken up by the reticulo-endothelial system 57 .…”

Antiviral Potential of Nanoparticles—Can Nanoparticles Fight Against Coronaviruses?

“…Comparing the treated and untreated infected groups, AuNPs significantly decreased the activities of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide and increased the level of glutathione (GSH). Concomitantly, AuNPs ameliorated the inflammatory response by decreasing the mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IFN-γ and inducible nitric oxide synthase [97]. AuNPs also inhibited attachment and penetration of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) at the early stages of infection and impaired viral replication at later stages at non-toxic concentrations and at early stage [47].…”

Alteration of the Mitochondrial Effects of Ceria Nanoparticles by Gold: An Approach for the Mitochondrial Modulation of Cells Based on Nanomedicine

“…The use of nanoparticles (NPs) in biomedicine continues to be a rapidly growing research field due to their powerful applications in medicine. Different types of NPs have been proposed for various biomedical applications such as drug delivery, bioimaging, thermotherapy and antioxidant therapy [1][2][3][4][5]. Furthermore, NPs can be functionalized to recognize specific biological targets, improving their effect; for example, triphenylphosphonium (TPP) and anti-HER2 can be used to target mitochondria [6,7] or specific tumor cells [8], respectively.…”