Effect of calcination temperature on the physical properties and toxicological effects of chromium oxide nanoparticles
摘要
Chromium oxide nanoparticles (Cr2O3 NPs) is a promising material that is widely used in various industries as a pigment or a catalyst. However, there is a certain limitation on the use of nanoscale form owing to its toxic effects on body health. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the physicochemical properties of Cr2O3 NPs obtained via coprecipitation at different calcination temperatures and to assess the toxicological effects of precipitated NPs on the different parenchymatous organs. Our findings demonstrated that the higher calcination temperature promoted the crystal properties of the Cr2O3 NPs by increasing the particle size, decreasing the band gap, enhancing the morphology of the crystal, and improving the colloidal stability. However, reducing both oxygen vacancies and crystal defects by eliminating voids and microstructure defects. The animal study showed a remarkable increase in the toxicity features within the parenchymatous organs of commercial Cr2O3 NPs, with prominence, whereas the calcined Cr2O3 groups showed a noticeable decrease in the toxicity within these organs. Animals administered with commercial Cr2O3 showed systemic inflammatory lesions and disruption of the antioxidant status associated with increased MDA level, decreased SOD and CAT levels, and downregulation of Nrf2 and HO-1 mRNA levels in within the hepatic, renal,and cardiac tissues, whereas the other calcined groups, especially animals treated with 800°C-calcined Cr2O3, showed a marked decrease in the inflammatory alterations and restored the antioxidant enzymes and genes to the normal limits. Therefore, an increase in the calcination temperature markedly reduced the toxicological effect of Cr2O3 NPs, which, in turn, effectively enhanced their biological benefits.