Research Article
Amal A El-Daly*
Abstract
Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) applications are widely used in the daily life and their potential toxicity to the living organism is necessary to be insured. The nanomaterial may or may not exhibit the same toxic potential as the original material. Therefore, this study used TiO2-NPs and their original bulk to ensure their safety on the histology, immunohistochemistry and ultrastructure of the liver of male albino mice (Mus musculus). For this purpose, 25 and 50 mg/kg b.wt.; 55 μm size; anatase TiO2-NPs compared with 50 mg/kg b.wt.; 106 μm size; anatase TiO2 micro-sized (bulk form) were daily injected intraperitoneally into the mice for ten successive days. The results showed numerous alterations in the liver of anatase TiO2-NPs treated animals in a dose-dependent manner that were more than these shown in anatase TiO2-bulk material. However, histopathological disruption of the normal cellular architecture of liver, vacuolization and congestion of blood capillary following higher doses of TiO2-NPs exposure were revealed. In addition, quantitative analysis of both Bcl-2 and PCNA immunostaining density data showed significant increase as compared with the control indicating activation of apoptosis and proliferation in liver cells. Moreover, ultrastructural observation displayed dramatic potential alteration in nucleus, mitochondria, rER, numerous lysosomes, bile canaliculi and a Kupffer cell was detected. Besides, obvious agglomerations of TiO2-NPs were taken up by hepatocytes cytoplasm and its organelles, nucleus and kupffer cells. These results show that TiO2-NPs induced potential toxicity in mice liver following both doses used that varied severely when compared with TiO2-bulk form. Therefore, it could be concluded that both tested doses of nano-anatase TiO2 induced potential liver toxicity than the dose of bulk anatase TiO2.