The hepato- and neuroprotective effect of gold Casuarina equisetifolia bark nano-extract against Chlorpyrifos-induced toxicity in rats

BACKGROUND: The bark of Casuarina equisetifolia contains several active phytoconstituents that are suitable for the biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs). These nanoparticles were subsequently evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing the toxicity induced by Chlorpyrifos (CPF) in rats. RESULTS: Various hematological and biochemical measurements were conducted in this study. In addition, markers of oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions quantified in liver and brain tissues were evaluated. Histopathological examinations were performed on both liver and brain tissues. Furthermore, the native electrophoretic protein and isoenzyme patterns were analyzed, and the relative expression levels of apoptotic genes in these tissues were determined. The hematological and biochemical parameters were found to be severely altered in the group injected with CPF. However, the administration of Au-C. equisetifolia nano-extract normalized these levels in all treated groups. The antioxidant system markers showed a significant decrease (P ≤ 0.05) in conjunction with elevated levels of inflammatory and fibrotic markers in both liver and brain tissues of the CPF-injected group. In comparison, the pre-treated group exhibited a reduction in these markers when treated with the nano-extract, as opposed to the CPF-injected group. Additionally, the nano-extract mitigated the severity of histopathological lesions induced by CPF in both liver and brain tissues, with a higher ameliorative effect observed in the pre-treated group. Electrophoretic assays conducted on liver and brain tissues revealed that the nano-extract prevented the qualitative changes induced by CPF in the pre-treated group. Furthermore, the molecular assay demonstrated a significant increase in the relative expression of apoptotic genes in the CPF-injected rats. Although the nano-extract ameliorated the relative expression of these genes compared to the CPF-injected group, it was unable to restore their values to normal levels. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that the nano-extract effectively reduced the toxicity induced by CPF in rats at hematological, biochemical, histopathological, physiological, and molecular levels, in the group pre-treated with the nano-extract. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43141-023-00595-6.