Effects of oral exposure to silver nanoparticles on the sperm of rats

•We assessed the toxic effects of AgNPs on the testes and epididymis of male rats.•Epididymal sperm number, motility, and morphology were evaluated.•An oral dose of 20–30 nm AgNPs possess negative influence on sperm morphology.•Non-significant effects on other sperm parameters were found.

It has been demonstrated that exposure to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can induce toxicological effects in rodents. In this study, we investigated whether sub-chronic oral exposure to different doses of polyvinil pyrrolidone (PVP)-coated AgNPs (PVP-AgNPs) (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day) could induce harmful effects on epididymal sperm rat parameters. Sperm motility, viability and morphology were examined. Moreover, a histological evaluation of testis and epididymis was also performed. High doses of PVP-AgNPs showed higher sperm morphology abnormalities, while a progressive, but not significant effect, was observed in other sperm parameters. The current results suggest that oral sub-chronic exposure to PVP-AgNPs induces slight toxicological effects in sperm rat parameters.