Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used as an antibiotic agent in textiles, wound dressings, medical devices, and appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines. The increasing use of AgNPs has raised concerns about their potential risks to human health. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the impact of AgNPs in germ cell specific complications in mice. The administration of AgNPs results in toxicity in mice; however, a more detailed understanding of the effects of AgNPs on germ cells remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate the effects of AgNPs (20 nm in diameter) in a mouse Sertoli and granulosa cells in vitro, and in male and female mice in vivo. Soluble silver ion (Ag(+))-treated cells were used as a positive control. We found that excessive AgNP-treated cells exhibited cytotoxicity, the formation of autophagosomes and autolysosomes in Sertoli cells. Furthermore, an increase in mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis by cytochrome c release from mitochondria due to translocation of Bax to mitochondria was observed. In in vivo studies, the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor α, interferon-γ, -6, -1β, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were significantly increased (p < 0.05). Histopathological analysis of AgNP-treated mice shows that a significant loss of male and female germ cells. Taken together, these data suggest that AgNPs with an average size of 20 nm have negative impact on the reproduction.
Keywords: Apoptosis; germ cells; pro-inflammatory cytokines; reactive oxygen species; silver nanoparticles.