Protective effect of silver nano particles against ovarian polycystic induced by morphine in rat

Objective: Morphine can cause harmful effects in the ovaries. But its effect on reproductive (hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad) axis is not clearly known. Today, silver nanoparticles are widely used in healthcare products because of antimicrobial properties. These particles can pass the blood-brain barrier and change in the nitric oxide level. We studied the effect of pre-injection of Ag-NPs prior to morphine (intra-VMH) in order to investigate the protective effect on the rat’s polycystic ovary induced of morphine. The effects were also compared with those observed in the morphine addicted animal. Materials and Methods: The rats (200-250 g) were housed under standard conditions and fed ad libitum. They were randomly divided into addicted to morphine (10-100 mg/kg, i.p., 7 days, twice daily) or receiving the drug (0.001 to 0.4 μg/rat, once, intra-VMH) (AP: -1.92), a week after stereotaxic surgery. Ag-NPs (0.01, 0.001 and 0.0001 μg/rat) were administered for once (intra-VMH) alone or prior to the morphine effective dose (0.4 μg/rat). Control group was given only saline. At the end, the animals’ ovaries and/or brain both histopathologically and by NADPH-diaphorase were examined. Results: All rats’ ovaries treated morphine showed polycystic features compared with the saline group (p 0.05). The activation of the NO system in the ovaries was also evidenced by NADPH-diaphorase. However, with pre-injection of the Ag- NPs, (intra-VMH) to morphine, the number of cysts was reduced and the VMH neurons were protected. Conclusion: The Ag-NPs may inhibit the morphine - induced PCO by decreasing the level of NO in the ovary through protection of hypothalamic neurons.