Pycnogenol-Assisted Alleviation of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle-Induced Lung Inflammation via...

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) are used in products that are applied to the human body, such as cosmetics and food, but their biocompatibility remains controversial. Pycnogenol (PYC), a natural extract of pine bark, exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In this study, we investigated whether PYC effectively alleviates pulmonary toxicity induced by airway exposure to TiO₂NPs, and the beneficial effects of PYC were explained through the analysis of changes to the mechanism of cytotoxicity. TiO₂NPs induced pulmonary inflammation and mucus production, increased the levels of malondialdehyde, and upregulated thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and cleaved-caspase 3 (Cas3) in the lungs of mice. However, PYC treatment reduced the levels of all toxicity markers of TiO₂NPs and restored glutathione levels. These antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of PYC were also demonstrated in TiO₂NP-exposed human airway epithelial cells by increasing the mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes and decreasing the expression of TXNIP, cleaved-Cas3, and inflammatory mediators. Taken together, our results showed that PYC attenuated TiO₂NP-induced lung injury via TXNIP downregulation. Therefore, our results suggest the potential of PYC as an effective anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent against TiO₂NP-induced pulmonary toxicity.