Morphofunctional State of the Rat Epididymis Under the Influence of Silver Nitrate and Silver Nanoparticles in Obesity
A.S. Pustovalov1, M.G. Matviienko2, M.E. Dzerzhynsky1
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Educational and Scientific Centre “Institute of Biology and Medicine”, Kyiv, Ukraine
- State University of Trade and Economics, Kyiv, Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/fz71.03.101

Abstract
The aim of the study was to compare the effects of silver salt
and silver nanoparticles on the epididymis morphofunctional
state of obese rats. Animals in the control group received a
standard diet. Rats in which obesity was modeled were divided
into several groups that received a silver salt solution and a
silver nanoparticle solution for 10 days, respectively. After
the end of the experiment, the epididymis was removed from
the animals. In the epididymis, epithelial cells were studied
in three zones: the head, body, and tail. It has been shown
that in obesity, secretory activity increases in the head and
body of the organ along with inhibition of synthetic function,
and in the tail zone the functional state of cells decreases.
The administration of silver nitrate to obese rats differently
affects the synthetic and secretory activity of epithelial cells
in different areas of the epididymis, depending on the dose.
Administration of 0.5 ml/100 g has a more powerful effect on
the morphometric parameters of epididymal cells than 0.25
ml/100 g. Silver nanoparticles also dose-dependently affect the
morphofunctional state of epididymal cells in obese rats. At
a dose of 0.25 ml/100 g, silver nanoparticles cause activation
of cells in different parts of the organ, but at a dose of 0.5
ml/100 g, there is mainly a decrease in the secretory activity
of epithelial cells, especially in the head of the epididymis. In
general, different areas of the epididymis respond ambiguously
to the administration of silver preparations. Nanoparticles
have a more powerful effect on the studied parameters than
silver nitrate. Additional studies are needed to establish the
dose-dependent effect of silver preparations on the functional
state of the epididymis.
Keywords:
rat; epididymis; epitheliocytes; silver nanoparticles; silver nitrate; obesity
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