International Journal of Nanomedicine (May 2019)
Hepatoprotective effect of silver nanoparticles synthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Rhizophora apiculata
Abstract
Hongru Zhang,1 Joe Antony Jacob,2 Ziyu Jiang,3 Senlei Xu,1 Ke Sun,1 Zehao Zhong,1 Nithya Varadharaju,4 Achiraman Shanmugam21The Second Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620024, Tamil Nadu, India; 3Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Animal Health and Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630 003, Tamil Nadu, IndiaBackground: Liver plays a vital role in the elimination of xenobiotics that can induce hepatotoxicity in living organisms.Silver nanoparticles have evolved recently as an alternative in various industries and are used for their biomedical applications.Rhizophora apiculata is a least studied mangrove-based plant that has been used in the traditional medicine of Southeast Asia for its healing properties. It is a well-known fact that the generation of free radicals has been associated with oxidative stress. Methods: Hence, in this study we used carbon tetrachloride as a hepatotoxin to induce liver damage. The protective effects of silver nanoparticles synthesized using Rhizophora apiculata on hepatotoxin-induced liver damage in experimental mice were assessed. Results: The results of the assessment indicate that silver nanoparticles were effective in protecting the liver from damages induced by carbon tetrachloride. Conclusion: Among existing literature, this is the first ever approach for hepatoprotective effect of nanoparticles derived using plant extract from mangrove ecosystem.Keywords: mangroves, Rhizophora apiculata, silver nanoparticles, carbon tetrachloride, hepatotoxicity