Iron Oxide Nanoparticles are widely used in various industries including medicine, water purification, removal of pollutants and cosmetics. However, certain environmental and human health concerns remain unaddressed even when they may accumulate in soil and water. The current study was devised to examine the hepatotoxic and hematotoxic effects of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₂O₃-NPs) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Twenty-five rats weighing 95-118 g were split up into five groups (n=5): control (without any treatment), saline (9% NaCl) and three treatment groups, which received intraperitoneal injections of Fe₂O₃-NPs at low (75 mg/kg), medium (150 mg/kg) and high (300 mg/kg) doses for a duration of 28 days. The body weights of all the rats were recorded every week. It was revealed that the effect of iron oxide nanoparticles was dose-dependent and had a major influence on lipid metabolism and liver function. Higher dosages resulted in increased level of cholesterol, triglycerides and total lipids, which may indicate dyslipidemia and hepatic lipid buildup. While bilirubin levels were constant among groups, elevated levels of ALP, ALT (SGPT) and AST (SGOT) suggested hepatic stress and possible liver damage. WBCs counts dramatically increased at medium and high doses but there were no discernible changes observed in monocytes, eosinophils, neutrophils or lymphocytes. Hemoglobin levels did not alter appreciably. Histopathological analysis of liver showed severe vascular congestion, sinusoidal dilatation and erythrocyte aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. These results affirm the necessity of cautious dose guidelines in biomedical applications and underline the possible hazards of exposure to high doses of iron oxide nanoparticles.

To Cite This Article: Akhtar M, Jabeen F, Ikram S, Manan M, Rizvi H and Zahoor MK 2025. Toxicological assessment of iron oxide nanoparticles: hematological and hepatic biomarkers in sprague-dawley rats. Pak Vet J. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2025.217