Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Induced Proinflammation of Primary Cultured Cardiac Myocytes of Rat

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are widely used in electronics, biology, and medicine owing to their special properties. However, during TiO2 nanoparticles exposure, nanoparticles may enter the blood circulation and translocate to the heart, and they may result in negative effects on the cardiovascular system. In this study, we demonstrated that the anatase and rutile TiO2 nanoparticles had potential toxicological effects on primary cultured cardiac myocytes of rat. After incubating with the anatase and rutile TiO2 nanoparticles, the primary cultured cardiac myocytes had become elongated and appeared to detach from the surface of cell plate. After exposure to 50, 100, and 150 mu g/mL anatase and rutile TiO2 nanoparticles for 2 days, the obvious decrease of cell viability was observed. And further studies showed that TiO2 nanoparticles exposure could induce the high expression of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6, especially in 150 mu g/mL group. The long-rod rutile TiO2 had more strong effects on cell viability and proinflammatory cytokines induction than red-blood cells like anatase TiO2. Results indicated that TiO2 nanoparticles exposure could impair the function of primary cultured cardiac myocytes of rat. Therefore, these findings support the view that much more attention should be aroused on the application of these nanoparticles and their potential exposure effects on human beings.