Titanium Dioxide (P25) Produces Reactive Oxygen Species in Immortalized Brain Microglia (BV2):  Implications for Nanoparticle Neurotoxicity

Concerns with the environmental and health risk of widely distributed, commonly used nanoparticles are increasing. Nanosize titanium dioxide (TiO2) is used in air and water remediation and in numerous products designed for direct human use and consumption. Its effectiveness in deactivating pollutants and killing microorganisms relates to photoactivation and the resulting free radical activity. This property, coupled with its multiple potential exposure routes, indicates that nanosize TiO2 could pose a risk to biological targets that are sensitive to oxidative stress damage (e.g., brain). In this study, brain microglia (BV2) were exposed to a physicochemically characterized (i.e., dispersion stability, particle…

• NI
  National Institutes of Health
• NI
  National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences