Abstract
With increasing industrial production of engineered nanoparticles, questions have been raised about their effects on human and animals. So the objective of this study is to detect the prophylactic role of either alpha-lipoic acid (alpha-lip) or vitamin E (vit E) against the hepatotoxic effect of Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) 50-nm induced metabolic disorder. ZnO-NPs were administered orally using two doses (600 mg and 1 g/kg body weight/day for 5 consecutive days). ZnO-NPs exhibited a marked increase in serum ALT and lipid peroxide (LP) as well as total phospholipids (PL), phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine levels while the liver content of reduced glutathione (GHS) and sphingomyelin as well as triglycerides levels was decreased compared with normal control group. Concurrent treatment of rats with either alpha-lip (200 mg/kg body weight) or vit E (100 mg/kg body weight) daily for three weeks to ZnO-NPs intoxicated rats significantly alleviated most of the deviated previous biochemical parameters. It was concluded that the decline in sphingomyelin content may be considered as a novel mechanism for ZnO-NPs, it has an apoptotic action and the treatment with either the aforementioned antioxidants has a beneficial effect.