Analysis of the genotoxicity of iron nanocomposite arabinogalactan using the DNA comet method

Introduction. Successful implementation of iron-containing nanoparticles into practice requires obtaining knowledge about their effect on human health. One of the most important stages in developing an understanding of the safety of iron-containing nanoparticles in nanocomposites is the study of their genotoxic properties both after exposure and over the long-term period. The aim of the study is to assess DNA damage in nucleated blood cells in white rats during subacute administration of the Fe nanocomposite arabinogalactan in two different doses one day after exposure, and in 2 and 4 months. Materials and methods. Male white rats were orally administered an aqueous solution of Fe arabinogalactan nanocomposite at doses of 500 μg/kg and 5000 μg/kg for 10 days. Blood samples were taken from the tail vein. The genotoxic effect of Fe arabinogalactan nanocomposite on leukocytes was assessed by the percentage of DNA in the «DNA comet tail» at 3 times using the alkaline version of the DNA comet assay: on the next day after the end of exposure, and in 2 and 4 months to determine whether the effect was preserved or absent. Results. In the present study, no statistically significant increase in DNA damage was detected at any stage of the experiment when using the studied nanocomposite at a dose of 500 μg/kg. At the same time, Fe arabinogalactan nanocomposite was found to have a negative effect on the DNA structure at a dose of 5000 μg/kg one day after exposure. Limitations. The experiment is limited to studying the genotoxic effect of the Fe arabinogalactan nanocomposite at doses of 500 and 5000 μg/kg on male white rats the next day after ten-day exposure and in the late period after 2 and 4 months. Conclusions. Statistically significant damage to the DNA of blood cells has been established to be caused by the use of only nFe-AG immediately after exposure and at the highest concentration of 5000 μg/kg; over time, the resulting DNA damage is leveled out by repair systems. Consequently, the potential genotoxic effect when using the studied nanocomposite for blood cells is very weak.