Effects of Oral Exposure to Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on the Liver, Small Intestine, and Kidney of Rats assessed by light microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy

Abstract

The TiO2 NPs are widely used in many commercial products, nanomedicine, agriculture, personal care products, different industries, and pharmaceutical preparations with potential risks to human health and the environment. The present study investigated the effects of different doses of TiO2 NPs on the liver, small intestine, and kidney tissues in the rat. The TiO2 NPs were administrated daily through gavage at the doses of 10, 20, and 50 mg/kg BW for 2 months. A total of 32 male rats were divided into four groups. After 60 days, rats were euthanized with CO2 gas (Code of Ethics: IR UM.REC.1400.327). Histopathological examination of the kidney, small intestine, and hepatic tissues treated with TiO2 NPs showed toxic changes compared to the control group. Histopathological examination revealed hemorrhage in the liver, swelling in the kidney glomerulus, as well as inflammation and damage to the mitochondria in enterocytes. Further evaluations are needed to understand the impact of different doses of NPs on human health.

Keywords

• small intestine
• kidney
• liver
• rat
• tio2 nano particles