Analyzing the teratogenic potential of aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3NPs) on albino mice fetuses

One kind of frequently utilized nanomaterials is aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3NPs). However, nothing is known about the teratogenicity and toxicity of Al2O3NPs in mammals. The goal of the current investigation was to determine whether this nanoparticle had teratogenic effects in albino mice during various stages of pregnancy. During this experimental study, 48 female albino mice were selected. Four experimental groups and two control groups were created by random selection among the subjects. Pregnant mice received an oral gavage dose of 8 mg/kg of Al2O3 solution from the first week through the 18th day of pregnancy. Al2O3NPs were administered orally to the first, second, and third groups solely during the first, second, and third weeks, respectively, and to the fourth group throughout the entire pregnancy. The fourth group received gavage mixed with a solvent in contrast to the control group, which received municipal water without gavage. The fetuses were removed from the fallopian tubes on the 18th day of pregnancy, and the morphological abnormalities, weight, height and head circumference of the fetuses were recorded. One-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis test, and chi-square statistic were used for data analysis in SPSS version 23.0. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Observations showed that teratogenic effects were more prominent in the group that was exposed to Al2O3NPs in the second week. The findings of this study demonstrate that Al2O3NPs have teratogenic and harmful effects in mammals.