Green-synthesized silver nanoparticles from edible plant extracts ameliorate cadmium chloride-induced hepatorenal and testicular toxicity in rats

Akram Abu-Okail¹Nashwa Hamad²Ayman Mousa³Ahmed Abdellatif⁴Heba A. S. El-Nashar⁵Mohamed El-Shazly⁶Ramy K. A. Sayed⁷Waleed Abdulmonem⁸Mohamed Farghali⁹Heba F Kamaly¹⁰Ibrahim M El-Ashmawy¹¹ABDULLAH SALEH ALJOHANI^11*

• ¹Department of Pathology and Laboratory Diagnosis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
• ²Department of Pathology and Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt, Assiut, Egypt
• ³Department of Basic Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 52571, Saudi Arabia, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
• ⁴Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraidah 51452, Saudi Arabia, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
• ⁵Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, 11566 Cairo, Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
• ⁶Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, 11566 Cairo, Egypt , Cairo , Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
• ⁷Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag 82524, Egypt, Sohag, Egypt
• ⁸Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
• ⁹Department of Agricultural Engineering and Socio-Economics, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan, Kobe, Japan
• ¹⁰Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt, Assiut, Egypt
• ¹¹Department of Medical Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, 52571, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia

Background: Cadmium (Cd) is widely known as an environmental toxicant, ranked as the seventh most toxic heavy metal. Exposure to cadmium through inhalation and ingestion can lead to serious health issues, including liver damage, kidney degeneration, testicular problems, and blood disorders in both humans and animals. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the protective effects of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), against cadmium chloride-induced hepatic, renal, and reproductive toxicity in male rats. Methods: AgNPs were synthesized via chemical reduction of silver nitrate using a combination of three plant extracts, including Petroselinum crispum, Zea mays silk, and Acacia Senegal. The obtained AgNPs were characterized and subjected to an in vivo study. Forty healthy adult male albino rats (200-230 g) were divided into 4 groups (n=10): G1: negative control, G2: rats received AgNPs (200 mg/kg b.w), G3: rats received cadmium chloride (5 mg/kg b.w), and G4: rats received AgNPs (200 mg/kg b.w.) followed by cadmium chloride (5 mg/kg b.w) after 90 min. All treatments were administered daily for 35 days. Biochemical assessments included liver enzymes (ALT, AST, and ALP), kidney markers (urea and creatinine), testicular hormones (testosterone, LH, and FSH), lipid profile (cholesterol, total bilirubin, LDL, HDL, and triglyceride), and antioxidant markers (total antioxidants, TAC, and malondialdehyde, MDA). Histopathological studies were performed on the liver, kidney, and testicular tissues. Results: Synthesized AgNPs exhibited spherical morphology with an average nano-size distribution of 5.28-21.47 nm. Cadmium chloride exposure significantly elevated liver enzymes, lipid markers, urea, creatinine, MDA, and decreased testicular hormone levels (testosterone and LH), indicating hepato-renal and testicular damage, alongside histopathological damage in all examined organs. Co-administration of AgNPs markedly ameliorated these biochemical alterations, improving liver and kidney function, restoring total antioxidant capacity, and normalizing lipid and protein and testicular hormone profiles. Histopathological results revealed that treatment with AgNPs restored the angiopathic, degenerative, and necrotic changes prompted by cadmium chloride administration. Conclusion: AgNPs biosynthesized from combined extracts of P. crispum, Z. mays silk, and A. senegal demonstrated significant protective effects against cadmium chloride-induced toxicity. Their antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties suggest potential as a therapeutic agent for mitigating environmental cadmium toxicity.