Efeitos maternos da nanopartícula de óxido de grafeno administrada durante a prenhez de ratas

Abstract

Nanotechnologies are used in several areas, such as agriculture, energy, electronics, cosmetology and biomedicine. Carbon-based nanoparticles are in great demand, especially graphene oxide, which behaves as an amphipathic molecule and has excellent solubility in aqueous environment. However, even with this promising future, the safety and toxicity of graphene oxide has not yet been fully elucidated, especially during pregnancy. This study aimed to evaluate the repercussions on maternal reproductive performance and pre-embryonic development through the administration of graphene oxide nanoparticles in pregnant rats. For the experiment, after mating, the rats were randomly distributed into three groups (n=12 animals/group): Control group, receiving only filtered water; and the Graphene 2.0 and Graphene 5.0 groups, receiving 2.5 mg/Kg and 5.0 mg/Kg of graphene oxide respectively, during the 21 days of pregnancy by intragastric route. On the 5th day of pregnancy, a total of six rats, which received only the highest dose, were used for blastocyst collection and analysis. Body weight was assessed on days 0 and 21 of pregnancy. On the 21st day of pregnancy, the rats were anesthetized and euthanized, with the exposure of the uterine horns to evaluate maternal reproductive performance parameters. The results showed that maternal weight gain, without litter weight, was lower in the Graphene 2.0 group. Reproductive performance and embryonic viability did not presented any change. Finally, it is concluded that the administration of graphene oxide nanoparticles during pregnancy do not cause damage to the maternal organism, indicating that it is safe under these experimental conditions.