study of different doses of zinc oxide nanoparticles by intraperitoneal and gavage methods on testicular tissue in wistar rats: an experimental study

Background: zinc oxide nanoparticles (zno-nps) are widely used in human life; however, they do have side effects on human health.  objective: this study aimed to evaluate the different doses of zno-nps on testicular tissue.materials and methods: 35 male wistar rats (10-12 wk, 220 ± 20 gr) were divided into 7 groups of 5, including the control group (gavaged distilled water daily), sham group (received intraperitoneal doses of distilled water twice a week). the group received intraperitoneal zno-nps (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg body weight, twice a week), and gavage (150 and 200 mg/kg body weight daily). all stages of the test were performed in 4 wk then serum testosterone and tissue malondialdehyde, and ferric reducing antioxidant power levels were measured, also testes histopathological evaluation was performed. results: our results showed that a reduced cell population of spermatozoa was observed in the group that received 25 mg/kg zno-nps, while a reduced cell population of spermatozoa, edema, hyperemia, and vacuolar degeneration were observed in the group that received 50 and 100 mg/kg zno-nps. the maximum amount of lesions were observed in the dose of 200 mg/kg. the highest amount of ferric reducing antioxidant power and testosterone levels were observed in the control group. also, a 100 mg/kg intraperitoneal dose of zno-nps and 150 mg/kg oral dose of zno-nps were suitable doses to create a model of male genital lesions. conclusion: nanoparticles are harmful factors for the reproductive system and consequently affect infertility, which requires the toxicity of the concentration of these nanoparticles to be evaluated and controlled.