The Influence of Long-Term Peroral Administration of Gold Nanoparticles with Various Sizes on the Liver, Spleen, and Lymph Nodes of Laboratory Rats and Their Progeny

The influence of long-term peroral injection of gold nanoparticles with various sizes on the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes of adult laboratory rats and their progeny was studied. The morphometric analysis was conducted using a µVizo-103 medical digital microviser. The conglomerated gold nanoparticles were detected in tissues via the dark-field microscopy. Gold nanoparticles with sizes of 2 and 50 nm were found to cause the mostly pronounced morphological alterations in organs that testifies to their size-dependent impact. The liver in a group receiving 50-nm gold particles exhibit noticeable dystrophy of hepatocytes and activation of a monocyte macrophage system. The spleen and lymph nodes reveal the activation of proliferation and differentiation of immunocompetent cells and macrophages. Peroral injection of gold particles during gestation of females led to an increase in a number of hepatocytes with necrobiotic changes as well as to elevated amount of non-parenchymatic elements in the liver of the progeny, especially in groups containing the 2- and 50-nm gold nanoparticles.