Análise dos efeitos tóxicos da administração de nanopartículas de óxido de grafeno durante a prenhez de ratas

Abstract

The potential of nanoparticles in biological and non-biological areas is vast, with new applications constantly being discovered. An example of a nanoparticle with numerous applications is graphene oxide (GO), which due to its physicochemical properties has demonstrated enormous potential for multifunctional biomedical applications. Although human exposure to nanoparticles has grown at the same rate as advances in the area, information about their safety has not advanced at the same velocity. Therefore, the objective of this work is to evaluate the maternal toxicity of GO administration during pregnancy in rats. To carry out the experiment, Wistar rats were mated and randomly distributed into three experimental groups (n=12 rats/group). Control group: pregnant rats that received only water; Graphene 2.5 Group: pregnant rats that received 2.5 mg/kg of GO; and Graphene 5.0 Group: rats that received 5 mg/kg of GO. The administration of the nanoparticle and water was carried out throughout the pregnancy, via the intragastric route (gavage). Body weight, feed consumption and water intake were measured daily. On the 21st day of pregnancy, the rats were anesthetized and killed by decapitation to obtain blood for biochemical analysis. Subsequently, a laparotomy was performed to remove and weigh the maternal organs. As a result, it was found that none of the analyzed parameters showed any difference between the experimental groups. In conclusion, oral administration of OG during pregnancy, at doses of 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg, did not present maternal toxicity. This indicates that under these conditions its use was safe during pregnancy.