Method for toxicity test of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in ciliate protozoan Tetrahymena

作者：Ud Daula Asad^*; Pfister Gerd; Schramm Karl Werner

来源：Journal of Environmental Science and Health - Part A: Toxic/Hazardous Substances & Environmental Engineering , 2013, 48(11): 1343-1348.

DOI：10.1080/10934529.2013.781878

• Tetrahymena thermophila
• TiO2 nanoparticles
• cell growth inhibition
• effective concentration
• cytotoxicity
• cell viability kits

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles have a high surface-to-mass ratio and rapidly aggregate in water causing great difficulties for toxicity test exposed to aquatic organisms or other cell lines. This study uses a cell viability kit for routine toxicity test of TiO2 as well as other nanoparticles which accumulate in the aquatic environment. Tetrahymena immediately endocytoses TiO2 nanoparticles and stores them in food vacuoles until the particles undergo exocytosis as larger aggregates. However, during the process of endocytosis and exocytosis, TiO2 particles interfere with cell growth and consequently induce acute toxicity. It exerted high cell growth inhibition at 20h incubation and induces significant cytotoxic effects. Surprisingly, the effect of TiO2 decreases at 40h incubation, due to the recovery of cell growth and reduction of the cytotoxicity of the particles.

• 出版日期2013-9-19