Vitamin-C vs. Copper-Oxide Nanoparticles Toxicity in Submandibular Salivary Glands

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the suppressive effect of the natural antioxidant vitamin C (VC) against submandibular gland toxicity induced by copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs). Three groups of thirty mature male albino rats (four weeks old) weighed between 150 and 200 grams. The rats were randomly assigned for six weeks to receive: intraperitoneal injection (IP) of vehicle (control group); IP of 2.5 mg/kg body weight (bw) of CuO-NPs (CuO-NPs group); and IP of 2.5 mg/kg bw of CuO-NPs, combined with a daily oral dose of 100 mg/kg bw of VC in drinking water via gavage (CuO-NPs/VC group). 0The rats were euthanized, and their submandibular glands were dissected for histological evaluation, including hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 and caspase-3. The area expression for Ki-67 and caspase-3 was statistically analyzed using GraphPad Prism. Following ANOVA analysis, Tukey's post-hoc was used for multiple comparisons. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. CuO-NPs caused significant cytotoxic effects on submandibular salivary gland cells in Albino rats. This led to an increase in Ki-67 and caspase-3 levels compared to the control group. VC administration improved tissue histology and reduced Ki-67 and caspase-3 levels in the VC/CuO-NPs group compared to rats treated with CuO-NPs alone. The study revealed significant cytotoxic effects of CuO-NPs on the submandibular salivary gland of Albino rats. VC effectively mitigated these toxic effects, suggesting its potential as a readily available antioxidant.