The gold nanoparticle size and exposure duration effect on the liver and kidney function of rats: In vivo

Nanoparticles (NPs) offer a great possibility for biomedical application, not only to deliver pharmaceutics, but also to be used as novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Currently, there are no data available regarding to what extent the degree of the toxicity and the accumulation of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are present in in vivo administration. This study aimed to address the GNP size and exposure duration effect on the liver and kidney function of rats: in vivo. Methods: Atotal of 30 healthy male Wistar-Kyoto rats of the same age (12 weeks old) and weighing 220–240 g of King Saud University colony were used.Animals were randomly divided into groups, two GNP-treated rat groups and one control group (CG). The 50 μl of 10 and 50 nm GNPs was intraperitoneally administered in rats for exposure duration of 3 days. Then, several biochemical parameters such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea (UREA) and creatinine (CREA) were evaluated. Results: In this study, theAST values increasedwith the administration of 10 and 50 nmGNPs compared with the control. The AST values significantly increased with 10 nmGNPs compared with 50 nm GNPs and control.TheGGTandALTvalues decreased with the administration of 10 and 50 nmGNPs compared with the control. The GGT and ALT values significantly decreased with 50 nm GNPs comparedwith 10 nmGNPs and control. TheALP values significantly decreasedwith the administration of 10 and 50 nm GNPs compared with the control. The decrease in ALP values with 10 nm GNPs was higher than those compared with 50 nm GNPs. In this study, the levels of UREA and CREA values increased in a non significant manner after the administration of 10 and 50 nm GNPs compared with the control.