Linseed ameliorates renal apoptosis in rat fetuses induced by single or combined exposure to diesel nanoparticles or fenitrothion by inhibiting transcriptional activation of p21/p53 and caspase-3/9 through pro-oxidant stimulus

Gestational exposure to environmental pollutants can induce oxidative injury and apoptosis since the fetal organs are sensitively vulnerable to these chemicals. In this work, we have investigated the renal anti-apoptotic efficiency of linseed (LS) against the oxidative stress-mediated upregulation of the fetal apoptosis-related genes following the prenatal intoxication with diesel nanoparticles (DNPs) and/or fenitrothion (FNT). A fifty-six timed-pregnant rats were equally divided to eight groups; control, LS (20% in diet), DNPs (0.5 mg/kg by intratracheal inoculation), FNT (3.76 mg/kg by gavage), DNPs+FNT, LS + DNPs, LS + FNT, and LS + DNPs+FNT. The transmission electron microscope analysis revealed the spherical shape of diesel particles with a homogeneous nanosized range (20-92.3 nm) and the crystallinity was confirmed by electron diffraction microscopy. Administration of DNPs and/or FNT significantly increased fetal renal malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, and glutathione reductase as compared with the control group. However, they declined the level of glutathione together with the activities of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. Furthermore, DNPs and/or FNT elicited many histopathological changes in fetal renal cells, markedly up-regulated apoptosis-related gene expressions (p53, p21 caspase-3, and caspase-9), and evoked DNA breaks as detected by comet assay. Interestingly, LS supplementation significantly ameliorated the disturbances in oxidant/antioxidant biomarkers, downregulated the apoptosis gene expressions, and alleviated DNA damage alongside renal cell architecture. These findings reveal that the antioxidant and anti-apoptotic characteristics of LS are acceptable defender pointers for the renal injury especially during gestational exposure to DNPs and/or FNT.