Titanium Dioxide (TiO<sub>2</sub>) Nanoparticle Toxicity in a <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> Model
Sen-Ting Huang,
Jian-He Lu,
Sherwin M. Jualo,
Lemmuel L. Tayo,
Wan-Nurdiyana-Wan Mansor,
Yi-Chieh Lai,
Chih-Lung Wang,
How-Ran Chao
Affiliations
Sen-Ting Huang
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung County, Neipu 912, Taiwan
Jian-He Lu
Center for Agricultural, Forestry, Fishery, Livestock and Aquaculture Carbon Emission Inventory and Emerging Compounds, General Research Service Center, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung County, Neipu 912, Taiwan
Sherwin M. Jualo
School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering and Science, Mapúa University, Intramuros, Manila 1002, Philippines
Lemmuel L. Tayo
School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering and Science, Mapúa University, Intramuros, Manila 1002, Philippines
Wan-Nurdiyana-Wan Mansor
Faculty of Ocean Engineering Technology & Informatics, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Lumpur 21300, Malaysia
Yi-Chieh Lai
Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Yanchao, Kaohsiung City 824005, Taiwan
Chih-Lung Wang
Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cheng Shiu University, Niaosong District, Kaohsiung City 833, Taiwan
How-Ran Chao
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung County, Neipu 912, Taiwan
Titanium dioxide is a compound that is used in the food, cosmetic, and paint industries; however, it is still toxic to humans and the environment. This study determined the toxicities of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) in a Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model. The effects of commercially available (C-TiO2) and synthetically (S-TiO2) prepared TiO2 NP solutions on lethality, lifespan, growth, reproduction, locomotion, and gene expression were studied in C. elegans. Exposure to TiO2 NPs (0.0, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, and 10 mg/L) did not result in any change to the survival rate or body length of the nematodes, regardless of the concentration. However, there was a decrease in the reproduction (brood size) and locomotion (body bending and head thrashing) of the nematodes as the TiO2 NP concentration increased. The longevity of the nematodes was shortened following TiO2 NP exposure. The gene expression of sod-1, sod-3, ctl-1, ctl-2, cyp35A2, mlt-1, and mlt-2 in the nematodes showed that there was an overexpression of all genes when the worms were exposed to 1 mg/L C-TiO2 or 10 mg/L S-TiO2. It was therefore concluded that compared with S-TiO2, C-TiO2 possibly causes more toxicity or genotoxicity in the C. elegans model.
