Cytotoxicity and oxidative DNA damage by nanoparticles in human intestinal Caco-2 cells

Abstract

The use of engineered nanoparticles in the food sector is anticipated to increase dramatically, whereas their potential hazards for the gastrointestinal tract are still largely unknown. We investigated the cytotoxic and DNA-damaging effects of several types of nanoparticles and fine particles relevant as food additives (TiO₂ and SiO₂) or for food packaging (ZnO and MgO) as well as carbon black on human intestinal Caco-2 cells. All particles, except for MgO, were cytotoxic (LDH and WST-1 assay). ZnO, and to lesser extent SiO₂, induced significant DNA damage (Fpg-comet), while SiO₂ and carbon black were the most potent in causing glutathione depletion. DNA damage by TiO₂ was found to depend on sample processing conditions. Interestingly, application of different TiO₂ and ZnO particles revealed no relation between particle surface area and DNA damage. Our results indicate a potential hazard of several food-related nanoparticles which necessitate investigations on the actual exposure in humans.

Keywords::

• Nanoparticles
• intestine
• cytotoxicity
• DNA damage
• Caco-2 cells
• oxidative stress

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by a grant from the German Research Council (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft – Graduate College GRK-1427).

Declaration of interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.