Pathotoxic Impact of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Liver Function and Protective Role of Silymarin

This chapter aims to confirm the toxic pathological effect of ZnONPs on liver function and to assess the role of Silymarin inhibiting or preventing alterations induced by ZnONPs in the liver function organ.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), as one of the most important metal oxide nanoparticles, are popularly employed in various fields due to their peculiar physical and chemical properties. Several metal oxide NPs are being developed to diagnose or treat malignancies, but zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have remarkably demonstrated their potential in the diagnosis and treatment of various types of cancers due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and unique physico-chemical attributes. This experiment was designed to study the pathological influences of ZnONPs on the liver function parameters of rats, and to explore the protective action of Silymarin (SIL) against liver function disturbances of rats induced by ZnONPs. The SIL group animals were treated with 100 mg/kg of SIL for 28 days. All the animals were sacrificed and blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture in the end of the experiments. To identify problems with liver function, the levels of hepatic enzymes such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were examined. The findings of this study demonstrated that liver function is toxic and pathologically affected by zinc oxide nanoparticles. Silymarin significantly reduced liver-related blood hepatic enzyme levels. Based on these results, it can be concluded that Silymarin effectively protects against ZnONPs induced liver function disorders in rats.