ZnO, TiO2, SiO2, and Al2O3 Nanoparticles-induced Toxic Effects on Human Fetal Lung Fibroblasts.

Abstract: Objective: This study aims to investigate and compare the toxic effects of four types of metal oxide (ZnO, TiO₂, SiO_2, and Al₂O₃) nanoparticles with similar primary size (∼20 nm) on human fetal lung fibroblasts (HFL1) in vitro. Methods: The HFL1 cells were exposed to the nanoparticles, and toxic effects were analyzed by using MTT assay, cellular morphology observation and Hoechst 33 258 staining. Results: The results show that the four types of metal oxide nanoparticles lead to cellular mitochondrial dysfunction, morphological modifications and apoptosis at the concentration range of 0.25-1.50 mg/mL and the toxic effects are obviously displayed in dose-dependent manner. ZnO is the most toxic nanomaterials followed by TiO₂, SiO₂, and Al₂O₃ nanoparticles in a descending order. Conclusion: The results highlight the differential cytotoxicity associated with exposure to ZnO, TiO₂, SiO₂, and Al₂O₃ nanoparticles, and suggest an extreme attention to safety utilization of these nanomaterials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]