Toxic Effects of Copper and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Brain Tissue Antioxidant Defense of Male Swiss Albino Mice

The aim of this study was to evaluate the general toxicity of nanoscale copper oxide (CuO NPs) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) by oral gavage in mice. In the study conducted with 42 male Swiss albino mice, CuO NPs and ZnO NPs were administered at 3 different doses of 1, 5 and 25 mg/kg/day by oral gavage method for 14 days together with the control group (n = 6). GSH and GSH dependent enzymes GST, GPx and GR enzyme activities as well as thiobarbituric acid reagent (TBARS) levels, DNA oxidative damage (8-Hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine; 8OHdG) and oxidative protein damage (protein carbonyl; PC) were determined in male mice brain tissue after 14 days of exposure to different doses of CuO NPs and ZnO NPs by spectrophotometric methods. There was a decrease in GSH levels and a dose-dependent increase in GST, GPx and GR enzymes in the brain tissue of male mice at CuO NPs and ZnO NPs doses. In the brain tissue of male mice exposed to CuO NPs and ZnO NPs doses for 14 days, TBARS, 8-OHdG and PC levels increased compared to the control group. According to these findings, CuO NPs and ZnO NPs were shown to have dose-dependent toxic effects, inducing oxidative damage by inducing the antioxidant system in the brain of mice, and also causing negative effects on the physiological basic structures of biomolecules such as DNA, fat and protein. Our results show that CuO nanoparticles have a more toxic effect on brain tissue than ZnO nanoparticles, therefore, neurotoxic effects were determined in a dose-dependent manner and in relation to the examined antioxidant parameters.