Safety assessment of bio-synthesized iodine-doped silver nanoparticle wound ointment in experimental rats

Abstract

In the wake of antibiotic resistance, treatment of intractable wound have been very challenging and any alternative treatment which may lead to less use of antibiotics deserves further exploitation. Nanoparticle conjugates has potentially not only reduce antibiotic use but it has been considered safe and effectively disinfect wounds already colonized with resistant bacteria as well as promoting granulation tissue formation. In this study, Iodine-doped silver nanoparticle Ointment (Ag-I NPs) was investigated for its toxicological effect on excisional wound of albino rats. Aqueous extraction of Piper guineense leaf was carried out and used for the synthesis of Ag-I NPs. The synthesized Ag-I NPs were characterized by Ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer which confirmed the availability of silver nanoparticles. The particles were then used to prepare a wound healing ointment for treating excision wound inflicted on wistar rat model. Blood samples, liver and kidney biopsies were collected on the 21st day of the experiment from all the rats for hematology, biochemical and histopathological analysis. In the hematological and biochemical analysis, hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) of experimental rats treated with Ag-I NPs were significantly different (p < 0.05) compared to the untreated group. In the histopathology, the photomicrograph of the liver showed the normal control, PEG, Ag-NP, and Ag-I NP groups remained intact displaying distinctive histo-morphological appearance and stable cell density while the untreated (UTD) group showed fatty liver and reduced cellular density. The kidney photomicrograph of the normal control and Ag- I NP groups were present with intact renal corpuscles while the other photomicrographs displayed corpuscular degeneration marked by the large halo-spaced bowman space. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and iodine-doped silver nanoparticle (Ag-I NP) altered haematological parameters in the rats and also influenced some biochemical changes in the serum of the rats. While in the histopathological study, the antioxidant present in the plant extract used to synthesize Ag NPs and Ag I-NPs may have functioned in synergy to maintain and preserve the integrity of the hepatocytes and renal corpuscles of the rats.