Clay Nanoparticles Ameliorate the Reproductive Toxicity Induced By Silver Nanoparticles in Adult Male Rats

Nano silver (Ag-NPs) is a commonly utilized type of nanoparticles in various fields. Meanwhile, nano clay (clayNPs) possesses antioxidant properties. Our objective was to evaluate the reproductive toxicity of Ag-NPs (50 nm) at a dosage of 100 mg/kg on adult male albino rats and explore whether clay-NPs (100 nm) at a dosage of 40 mg/kg could mitigate the adverse effects of silver. We divided thirty-two adult male albino rats into four equal groups: the control group, the Ag-NPs group, the nano clay group, and the clay-NPs/Ag-NPs group (combination group). The rats were orally administered Ag-NPs (100 mg/kg) and clay-NPs (40 mg/kg) for a total of 60 days. The results of our study revealed that exposure to Ag-NPs had detrimental effects on sperm motility, morphology, viability, and concentration. Additionally, Ag-NPs induced oxidative stress, as evidenced by the comet assay, which indicated DNA damage in the rat sperm. Morphometric and histopathological examinations of the testes of rats exposed to Ag-NPs demonstrated various histological alterations. However, the coadministration of clay-NPs ameliorated most of these toxic effects of Ag-NPs, potentially through their antioxidative capacity