The toxicity evaluation of nano-trititanate with bactericidal properties in vitro

Three forms of nano-trititanate (H(2)Ti(3)O(7) nanomaterial) were prepared by a hydrothermal method to replace nano-TiO(2) for sterilizing the environment. The bactericidal capabilities of these nano-trititanates were observed to be more significant compared to nano-TiO(2) both with and without exposure to UV light. For the future commercial applications of those nano-trititanates, we investigated their cytotoxicity and genotoxicity to HEp-2 cells. As data in our study shows, nanoplate, one of the nano-trititanates, possesses the lowest toxicity to HEp-2 cells. The results indicated that the shape and length of the material only affect the toxicity of nano-trititanate but not its bactericidal effect. Thus, through manipulating the shape or length of nano-trititanate, we may obtain a more powerful bactericidal reagent with lower toxicity to the human body.