Cytotoxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in rat neuroglia cells

Abstract

Aim: To find the cytotoxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO₂) posed to neuroglia cells.

Methods: This study tested the inhibiting effect of different sized nano-TiO₂ on the cell survival rate for rat astrocytes in vitro and in vivo and pathological analysis was also done to evaluate its effect; IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10 of rat brain tissue was also examined.

Results: In vitro examination, the inhibiting effect of nano-TiO₂ on the cell survival rate, was significantly enhanced dose dependently. There were also obvious changes in cellular configuration, such as sparse arrangement, increscent cell spaces, increasing intracellular particles and decreasing cellular transparency. When rats were exposed to nano-TiO₂ of 10 and 20 nm in diameter in 1.0 and 10.0 mg kg⁻¹, the concentrations IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-10 in brain tissue increased with the dose of nano-TiO₂. Pathological observation indicated that the blood–brain barrier was destroyed and resulted in brain tissue necrosis, inflammation and cellular oedema.

Conclusions: Nano-TiO₂ is toxic to rat neuroglia cells. This toxicity may be related to particle size and the mechanism may be associated with its induction inflammation.

• Interleukin-10
• interleukin-1β
• neuroglia cells
• nanotoxicity
• titanium dioxide nanoparticles
• tumour necrosis factor-α

Acknowledgements

This research work is funded under the Quality Inspection Public Sector Special Scientific Research Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China [grant number 2007GY10-60].