Salubrious effects of a vermiculite–cellulose‐based bionanocomposite on oxidative stress indices and histomorphology of male Wistar rats

Abstract

There is a current interest from the food packaging, biomedical and agricultural sectors in hybrid materials formed from clays and natural polymeric compounds. However, research investigating the toxicity of vermiculite–cellulose nanocrystal (VERN) hybrid on the testes of Wistar rats is rare. Twenty rats, divided into control and treatment groups, were orally administered distilled water, 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg bw VERN daily for two consecutive weeks. At the termination of experiments, the testicular organo‐somatic index, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and gamma‐glutamyl transferase activities were not significantly changed by VERN relative to the controls. Contrarily, myeloperoxidase, glutathione peroxidase, and malondialdehyde levels were depleted in the testes of treated rats. Moreso, VERN increased follicle‐stimulating and luteinizing hormones, and decreased testosterone levels at the 20 mg/kg dose. Histology of the testes revealed healthy looking Leydig cells at the doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg VERN. Overall, these results indicate that oral exposure of VERN was not overly deleterious to the redox and structural histoarchitecture in the testes of rats.

Histomorphological and Redox Delineations in the Testis and Epididymis of Albino Rats Fed with Green-Synthesized Cellulose

“…In the current study, rats administered with GSC showed differential effects on testicular and epididymal antioxidant enzymes, except CAT. GSC, at all treatment doses, did not disturb CAT activity in both testis and epididymis, lending credence to earlier reports that this enzyme may have limited importance in male reproductive organs [ 7 , 31 ]. In the testis, SOD activity remained unchanged, while epididymal SOD activity decreased at the high dose GSC treatment.…”

“…The diverse applications of cellulose add another level of complexity arising from increased human exposure; therefore, there is an obligation to assess the health implications of exposure to cellulose. We have chosen the male reproductive organs as the target organs of toxicity following our previous study showing the slight testicular-toxicity of cellulose bionanocomposite [ 7 ]. Data obtained from this study indicated that GSC treatment in rats did not elicit changes on absolute weights and organosomatic indices of both testis and epididymis.…”

“…These constraints have raised the need to seek for nonconventional and inexpensive substitutes [ 3 , 4 ]. In our laboratories, we had previously converted available cellulose into nanocellulose [ 5 , 6 ] or blended it with vermiculite polymer to yield composites with enhanced materiality [ 7 ]. The green synthesis approach, exploiting plant extracts as reducing agents, offer cost—and eco-friendly alternatives to the physical and chemical methods of synthesis.…”