Analysis of morphological and morphometric characteristics of the mouse stomach wall after oral administration of iron oxide nanoparticles

Iron oxide nanoparticles attract attention in the scientific community due to the wide range of their unique physico-chemical properties obtained during various synthesis methods. However, their effects on the body when administered orally have not been sufficiently studied. This work was aimed to study of morphological and morphometric characteristics of the gastric mucosa of laboratory mice using synthetic and biogenic iron oxide nanoparticles as a feed additive. Materials and methods. Nanoparticles of synthetic and biogenic iron origin were used in the work. The laboratory mice (n = 55) were allocated into 3 groups: 1 group of mice (n = 15) were intact animals that received standard feeding; group 2 (n = 20) fed food with synthetic nanoparticles; group 3 (n = 20) fed food with biogenic nanoparticles. The biological material (mouse stomach) was sampled on days 1, 22, and 36. Histological sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Perls. Morphometric analysis of the drugs was performed in the program “ViodeoTesT - Morphology 7.0”. Results. Upon oral administration of iron oxide nanoparticles into the body, lymphohistiocytic infiltration, hemorrhages, enlargement of the gastric glands, cysts, and dystrophic changes in the cells of the columnar epithelium were detected in both groups. At the same time, foci of atrophic gastritis and pronounced foci of destruction of the gastric glands were noted in animals of group 3 on day 36. Conclusion. The entry of both synthetic and biogenic iron oxide nanoparticles into the gastrointestinal tract for 36 days causes pathological changes in the stomach tissue in the form of epithelial metaplasia with dystrophic changes in the gastric glands.