Selenium nanoparticles attenuates silver nanoparticles toxicity in mice Sertoli cells via modulation of SOD and Kindlin-2

Abstract

The rapid increase in male infertility has raised concerns about the potential risks of nanoparticles to male reproductive health. Previous studies have shown that high concentrations of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) possess antioxidant properties and can mitigate oxidative stress. However, the impact of SeNPs on supporting Sertoli cells affected by AgNPs has not been studied. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SeNPs on mouse Sertoli cells exposed to AgNPs. Sertoli cells were surgically extracted from NMRI mouse testicles and characterized by flow cytometry. The cells were treated with AgNPs and SeNPs, and their cytotoxicity was analyzed using the MTT assay. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured, and real-time PCR was used to measure the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Kindlin-2. AgNPs were lethal at a concentration of 10 µg/ml. However, when AgNPs and SeNPs were used together, an increase in the dose of SeNPs (24–64 µg/ml) resulted in improved survival rates of the Sertoli cells (P*** ≤ 0.001). The combination of AgNPs and SeNPs (10 µg/ml + 64 µg/ml, respectively) reduced ROS and MDA levels and upregulated SOD and Kindlin-2 at the transcriptional level (P*** ≤ 0.001). These results suggest that SeNPs can attenuate AgNPs-induced toxicity in Sertoli cells, likely by enhancing the expression of antioxidant genes, reducing the production of ROS and improving reproductive capacity in supportive Sertoli cells. Therefore SeNPs could be suggested as a potential therapeutic agents for reducing the toxic effects of AgNPs in vivo.