Comparative study of the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of titanium oxide and aluminium oxide nanoparticles in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells.

The aim of this study was to analyze the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of titanium oxide (TiO(2)) and aluminium oxide (Al(2)O(3)) nanoparticles (NPs) on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells using neutral red (NR), mitochondrial activity (by MTT assay), sister chromatid exchange (SCE), micronucleus (MN) formation, and cell cycle kinetics techniques. Results showed a dose-related cytotoxic effect evidenced after 24h by changes in lysosomal and mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity. Interestingly, transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) showed the formation of perinuclear vesicles in CHO-K1 cells after treatment with both NPs during 24h but no NP was detected in the nuclei. Genotoxic effects were shown by MN frequencies which significantly increased at 0.5 and 1 microg/mL TiO(2) and 0.5-10 microg/mL Al(2)O(3). SCE frequencies were higher for cells treated with 1-5 microg/mL TiO(2). The absence of metaphases evidenced cytotoxicity for higher concentrations of TiO(2). No SCE induction was achieved after treatment with 1-25 microg/mL Al(2)O(3). In conclusion, findings showed cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of TiO(2) and Al(2)O(3) NPs on CHO-K1 cells. Possible causes of controversial reports are discussed further on.