The Effect of Chronic Consumption of Silver Nanoparticles on Thyroid Gland and Pregnancy in Rats

Nanotechnology is one of the sciences, which despite its wide range of applications has some disadvantages that have challenged its use. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of chronic consumption of silver nanoparticles on thyroid gland and pregnancy in rats. In this experimental study, 14 pregnant rats were divided into 2 groups of 5 and 9 (control and experimental). The experimental group received nanosilver by gavage at a constant concentration of 16 ppm for 30 days. Then, thyroid hormone levels were determined by ELISA technique, and thyroid gland was examined pathologically. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney Test. The significance level was considered as p<0.05. In this study, T4 levels significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group. However, the levels of T3 and TSH showed no significant difference in comparison with the control group. Also, in the pathological assessment, there was no evidence of lesions caused by exposure to nanosilver, and all newborns were healthy. According to the results of this study, nanosilver accumulated in the thyroid tissue was probably lower than the level that could cause any histopathological changes. Also, nanosilver did not cause any adverse effects on the pregnancy. Therefore, increased T4 level in the experimental group compared to the control group, is probably due to impaired T4 deiodination.