title: Effects of nanoparticle zinc oxide on emotional behavior and trace elements homeostasis in rat brain.
abstract: Over recent years, nanotoxicology and the potential effects on human body have grown in significance, the potential influences of nanosized materials on the central nervous system have received more attention. The aim of this study was to determine whether zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) exposure cause alterations in emotional behavior and trace elements homeostasis in rat brain. Rats were treated by intraperitoneal injection of ZnO NPs (20-30 nm) at a dose of 25 mg/kg body weight. Sub -: acute ZnO NPs treatment induced no significant increase in the zinc content in the homogenate brain. Statistically significant decreases in iron and calcium concentrations were found in rat brain tissue compared to control. However, sodium and potassium contents remained unchanged. Also, there were no significant changes in the body weight and the coefficient of brain. In the present study, the anxiety-related behavior was evaluated using the plus-maze test. ZnO NPs treatment modulates slightly the exploratory behaviors of rats. However, no significant differences were observed in the anxious index between ZnO NP-treated rats and the control group (p > 0.05). Interestingly, our results demonstrated minimal effects of ZnO NPs on emotional behavior of animals, but there was a possible alteration in trace elements homeostasis in rat brain.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Tunisia amara_salem_fsb@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Salem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amara
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Imen Ben
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Slama
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physics of Materials and Nanomaterials Applied at Environment, College of Sciences in Gabes, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Omri
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physics of Materials and Nanomaterials Applied at Environment, College of Sciences in Gabes, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Jaber
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: El Ghoul
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Physics of Materials and Nanomaterials Applied at Environment, College of Sciences in Gabes, Tunisia Department of Physics, College of Sciences, Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Lassaad
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: El Mir
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Khemais Ben
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Rhouma
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Hafedh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abdelmelek
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physiologie Intégrée, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakly
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008297:Male; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D010316:Particle Size; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013499:Surface Properties; D059551:Toxicity Tests, Subacute; D066007:Toxicokinetics; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D014131:Trace Elements; D015034:Zinc Oxide
keywords: ZnO nanoparticles; elevated plus-maze; emotional behavior; rats; trace elements