Effect of treatment media on the agglomeration of titanium dioxide nanoparticles: impact on genotoxicity, cellular interaction, and cell cycle

The widespread use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in consumer products increases the probability of exposure to humans and the environment. Although TiO2 nanoparticles have been shown to induce DNA damage (comet assay) and chromosome damage (micronucleus assay, MN) in vitro, no study has systematically assessed the influence of medium composition on the physicochemical characteristics and genotoxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles. We assessed TiO2 nanoparticle agglomeration, cellular interaction, induction of genotoxicity, and influence on cell cycle in human lung epithelial cells using three different nanoparticle-treatment media: keratinocyte growth medium (KGM) plus 0.1% bovine serum albumin (KB); a synthetic broncheoalveolar lavage fluid containing PBS, 0.6% bovine serum albumin and 0.001% surfactant (DM); or KGM with 10% fetal bovine serum (KF). The comet assay showed that TiO2 nanoparticles induced similar amounts of DNA damage in all three media, independent of the amount of agglomeration, cellular interaction, or cell-cycle changes measured by flow cytometry. In contrast, TiO2 nanoparticles induced MN only in KF, which is the medium that facilitated the lowest amount of agglomeration, the greatest amount of nanoparticle cellular interaction, and the highest population of cells accumulating in S phase. These results with TiO2 nanoparticles in KF demonstrate an association between medium composition, particle uptake, and nanoparticle interaction with cells, leading to chromosomal damage as measured by the MN assay.