The protective role of deferoxamine as a metal chelator against iron overload and histopathological abnormalities induced by iron oxide nanoparticles in spleen and kidney of two tetrapod representatives

Abstract Background Recent advances in nanotechnology have highlighted its tremendous potential, but they have also raised concerns regarding the accumulation of nanomaterials in the body. The present study aims to evaluate the toxic effects of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) and to investigate the protective role of deferoxamine (DFO), an iron chelator, in mitigating these effects on the spleen and kidney of both mammalian and avian models— Rattus norvegicus domestica and Columba livia domestica , respectively. Animals of both species were divided into six experimental groups as follows: (1) control group injected with PBS for one week, (2) DFO-treated group for one week, (3) IONPs-treated group for one hour, (4) IONPs-treated group for one week, (5) DFO + IONPs-treated group for one hour, and (6) DFO + IONPs-treated group for one week. Results The toxic effects observed were more pronounced in the spleen than in the kidney across different time points, particularly after one week. In albino rats, IONPs administration for either one hour or one week caused alterations such as splenic white pulp distortion, haemorrhage, and mild vacuolization. These changes were alleviated by concurrent DFO treatment. Similar histopathological abnormalities were detected in domestic pigeons, though with lower severity. In contrast, the kidneys of both models exhibited acute to severe inflammation and leukocyte infiltration following IONPs administration, either for one hour or one week, and even with DFO co-treatment for one week. Iron content in the spleen and kidney of both species showed a nonsignificant increase after IONPs administration alone ( p = 0.3 and 0.74, respectively) but decreased when DFO was administered concurrently. Comparable findings were noted for collagen content: nonsignificant increased ( p = 0.058 and 0.99) increases were detected in the spleen after IONPs exposure for one hour or one week ( p = 0.058 and 0.99, respectively), followed by reductions with DFO co-treatment. Conversely, carbohydrate content in the kidney showed a nonsignificant increase ( p = 0.99 and 0.098) after co-administration of DFO and IONPs at different time points, compared with IONPs treatment alone in both species. Conclusion DFO may serve as a protective agent against iron overload–induced toxicities when administered concurrently with IONPs used as drug delivery nanocarriers.