[Pathogenic effects of titanium dioxide dust on the lung of dogs--a histopathological and ultrastructural study]

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) dust has generally been regarded as a "nuisance dust" in experimental animals and men. In this experiment, 16 dogs were exposed intratracheally to TiO2 dust for 9-15 months. The scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (SEM-EDAX), performed to identify the elemental composition of dust particles used in the study and in the focal lesions of the lungs, showed that dust particles were nearly pure titanium. Dust in the lung deposited mainly in the respiratory bronchioles and adjacent alveoli, with many alveoli filled by compacted dust particles. The pulmonary responses consisted of slight alveolitis, centrilobular emphysema, focal collapse of alveoli, and fibroblast hyperplasia with a few collagen fibres surrounding some of the TiO2-dust foci. Electron microscopically, many alveolar macrophages with intact nuclei contained a great amount of dust particles in their lysosomes, and in the dust foci, most of type I pneumocytes disappeared and type I pneumocytes showed hyperplasia. The alveolar subepithelial basement membrane were markedly thickened and bundles of collagen fibres were formed in the interstice. These findings suggest that TiO2 dust is one of the sorts which probably induce mild lung fibrosis in case a large amount is deposited in the lung tissue.