Fig. 4

Effect of gold nanoparticles on paraquat-induced toxicity. Mice were injected intraperitoneally with paraquat (PQ) at 0 (open bars) or 50 mg/kg (solid bars), together with an IV injection of vehicle or gold nanoparticles (4 mg/kg). At 24-h post-injection, serum levels of the liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT; a) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST; b), and plasma levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN; c) and creatinine (Cr; d) were determined using commercially available kits (see “Biochemical analyses” section). Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM; n = 4). Significant difference (*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01) between vehicle- and PQ-treated groups