Long-term effects of silver nanoparticles on reproductive activity of rabbit buck

Figures & data

Table 1. Main seminal characteristics of rabbit semen before and at different time periods VCL in control and AgNP treated bucks.

	Groups	Libido sec.	Semen volume ml	Seminal ROS mg hydr perox 100 mL	Concentration Sperm × 10^6/ml	Testosterone ng/mL	Motile cells %	VCL µm/sec	Normal sperm %	AR sperm %	Oxygen consumption pmol O2/ min/10^7 cells
Day 0	Control	20	0.58	0.75	375	3.0	78.7	199.5	79.8	7.9	70.2
	0.6 mg/kg AgNPs	18	0.58	0.72	380	2.7	77.0	195.8	79.5	8.0	73.6
Day 7	Control	26	0.55	0.80^a	420^b	2.3	80.3^b	220.0^b	80.2^b	9.0^b	71.5^b
	0.6 mg/kg AgNPs	28	0.47	1.55^b	168^a	2.7	40.2^a	166.2^a	32.3^a	50.2^a	29.8^a
Day 21	Control	20	0.60	0.80^a	370^b	2.8	81.0^b	208.7^b	80.0^b	9.0^b	69.8^b
	0.6 mg/kg AgNPs	20	0.55	1.20^b	150^a	2.2	50.4^a	145.5^a	56.0^a	16.5^a	22.6^a
Day 42	Control	15	0.60	0.70	410	2.8	76.3	190.2	75.6	12.0	63.9
	0.6 mg/kg AgNPs	17	0.60	0.90	390	1.9	69.5	185.5	75.3	14.7	56.4
Day 63	Control	18	0.55	0.75	450	2.1	80.6^b	226.5^b	75.8^b	9.7^b	57.6^b
	0.6 mg/kg AgNPs	16	0.50	0.80	400	2.0	48.5^a	168.8^a	53.6^a	24.0^a	32.3^a
Day 84	Control	15	0.61	0.75	420	3.0	85.0^b	220.2^b	81.0^b	8.0^b	67.6^b
	0.6 mg/kg AgNPs	19	0.58	0.77	480	2.7	35.3^a	142.5^a	45.8^a	29.2^a	20.1^a
Day 105	Control	17	0.54	0.80	435	2.5	86.1^b	226.0^b	80.5^b	9.0^b	62.6^b
	0.6 mg/kg AgNPs	18	0.49	0.78	440	1.9	25.5^a	122.4^a	38.0^a	17.7^a	30.2^a
Day 126	Control	18	0.60	0.70	455	2.0	78.8^b	190.9^b	74.5^b	7.5^b	63.8^b
	0.6 mg/kg AgNPs	19	0.55	0.80	430	2.0	35.3^a	132.0^a	49.8^a	16.7^a	39.9^a
Pooled SE		2	0.11	0.10	220	0.4	14.0	31.3	6.3	8.2	10.4

On the same column for the same day: ^a,bmeans p < 0.05; VCL: curvilinear velocity; AgNP: silver nanoparticle; ROS: reactive oxygen species; AR: acrosome-reacted.

Figure 1. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of rabbit testicular tissue and ejaculated sperm (day 21 from nanoparticles (NPs) injection). A) Particles were evident in testicular tissue (arrows) and inside the cytoplasm of Sertoli cell and into the normal nucleus of an elongated spermatid. B–E) In ejaculated sperm, aggregates of NPs (arrows) were inside the cytoplasmic residue (B) and the sections of nuclei and axoneme (C). Sometimes NPs were localized in the acrosome that appeared broken and partially reacted (D) or swollen (E) and inside the mitochondria (E). A: acrosome; N: nucleus; Ch: chromatin; CR: cytoplasmic residue; M: mitochondria. A, C) Bar 1 µm; B, D, E) Bar 300 nm.

Figure 2. Transmission electron microscopy image of the silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) used in this study.

Figure 3. Ultrastructural damage evaluated by transmission electron microscopy in ejaculated sperm from control and silver nanoparticle (AgNP) treated rabbits (mean ± SE) were compared. Significant differences from control group at the same time point (*p < 0.05).