Cytotoxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles to mussel hemocytes and gill cells in vitro: Influence of synthesis method, crystalline structure, size and additive

AbstractIncreasing the production and applications of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) has led to grow concerns about the consequences for the environment. In this study, we investigated the effects of a set of TiO2 NPs on the viability of mussel hemocytes and gill cells using neutral red and thiazolyl tetrazolium bromide assays. For this, we compared the cytotoxicity of TiO2 NPs (0.1–100 mg Ti/L) produced by different techniques: rutile NPs (60 nm) produced by milling and containing disodium laureth sulfosuccinate (DSLS), rutile NPs (10, 40 and 60 nm) produced by wet chemistry and anatase/rutile NPs (∼100 nm) produced by plasma synthesis. The commercially available P25 anatase/rutile NPs (10–20 nm) were also tested. Exposures were performed in parallel with their respective bulk forms and the cytotoxicity of the additive DSLS was also tested. Z potential values in distilled water indicated different stabilities depending on the NP type and all NPs tested formed agglomerates/aggregates in cell culture media. In g...