abstract
Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) are inorganic materials that have become a valuable tool for many industrial sectors, especially in healthcare, due to their versatility, unique intrinsic properties, and relatively inexpensive production cost. As a consequence of their wide applications, human exposure to MONPs has increased dramatically. More recently, their use has become somehow controversial. On one hand, MONPs can interact with cellular macromolecules, which makes them useful platforms for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. On the other hand, research suggests that these MONPs can cross the blood-testis barrier and accumulate in the testis. Although it has been demonstrated that some MONPs have protective effects on male germ cells, contradictory reports suggest that these nanoparticles compromise male fertility by interfering with spermatogenesis. In fact, in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that exposure to MONPs could induce the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, resulting in oxidative stress, which is the main suggested molecular mechanism that leads to germ cells' toxicity. The latter results in subsequent damage to proteins, cell membranes, and DNA, which ultimately may lead to the impairment of the male reproductive system. The present manuscript overviews the therapeutic potential of MONPs and their biomedical applications, followed by a critical view of their potential risks in mammalian male fertility, as suggested by recent scientific literature.
keywords
TITANIUM-DIOXIDE NANOPARTICLES; ZINC-OXIDE; ZNO NANOPARTICLES; IRON-OXIDE; SILVER NANOPARTICLES; ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY; GOLD NANOPARTICLES; INORGANIC NANOPARTICLES; TESTICULAR TOXICITY; OXIDATIVE STRESS
subject category
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
authors
Vassal, M; Rebelo, S; Pereira, MD
our authors
Maria de Lourdes Gomes Pereira
Associate Professor with Aggregationacknowledgements
This work was sponsored by Project CICECO-Aveiro Institute ofMaterials, UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020, national funds by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTES. This research was also funded by the Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED) UID/BIM/04501/2020.