Assessment of the biological effect of natural silicon when entering the body of experimental animals with drinking water. Part 2

Abstract

Introduction. The influence of natural silicon (Si) on the organism of laboratory animals was studied at levels corresponding to the current maximum permissible concentration of Si in drinking water. The first part of the study revealed a positive effect of the element on the activity of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases, the content of total protein, albumin and creatinine in blood serum. The second part of the study examined the manifestations of oxidative stress and the state of the antioxidant defense system in the same animals. Materials and methods. The effect of drinking water containing natural Si at MPC levels was assessed in a 3-month experiment on eighty white outbred male rats. There were studied biochemical indices characterizing oxidative stress and the state of antioxidant defense including the content of malondialdehyde (MDA); activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), albumin content in blood serum. Results. The silicon entering the body of animals at concentrations of 17±3.4 mg/l and 20.5±4.1 mg/l significantly affected the manifestation of oxidative stress and the state of antioxidant defense indices. A decrease in the SOD, CAT, and GPX activity was recorded in parallel with a decline in the MDA content in the blood hemolysate and an increase in the albumin content in the blood serum. Limitations. Limitations of the study are related to the short duration of observation and the small number of points for determining biochemical indices over time. Conclusion. Natural silicon contained in drinking water in concentrations close to the maximum permissible concentration had a positive effect on the balance of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant protection, reducing oxidative stress in laboratory animals. The data obtained in the 1st and 2nd parts of the study on the positive effects of the natural silicon entering the body in laboratory animals at MPC levels need to be confirmed in longer and more detailed experiments. One of the reasons for health problems among the population of the silicon biogeochemical province of Chuvashia may presumably be the undetected intake of nanosilicon from drinking water.