Toxicity assessment of synthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles in fresh water algae Chlorella pyrenoidosa and a zebrafish liver cell line

This study aims to assess the toxicity of the commonly-spread titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) by evaluating the exposure impact of the particles on both freshwater algae Chlorella pyrenoidosa and zebrafish liver cell line (ZFL), the two common in vitro models in toxicological studies. To compare the toxic effects of TiO 2 NPs with different physiochemical properties, three types of manufactured TiO 2 were used: bulk TiO 2 , Degussa P25 TiO 2 , and ultrafine TiO 2 NPs. Both short and long-term biological responses of green algae, such as the effect on the cell growth rate, pigment autofluorescence, and esterase activity were investigated. The dosage, physical property of TiO 2 particles, and their interactions with algal cells affect cellular growth, especially after short-term exposure. The hydrodynamic size plays a critical role in determining the acute toxicity to C. pyrenoidosa in terms of autofluorescence and esterase activity, while all types of TiO 2 NPs show toxic effects after exposure for 14 days. However, this observation is not seen when studying the effect of introduced particles in ZFL, for the precipitated Degussa P25 TiO 2 showed the highest cellular inhibition. Interestingly, despite the obvious overall toxicity toward C. pyrenoidosa , the photocatalytical properties of TiO 2 NPs may contribute to the enhanced photosynthesis in the low concentration range (<   40 µg mL −1 ). Overall, we found that the physical interactions between TiO 2 particles and the cells, particles’ size and dispersibility play critical role in the cytotoxic effect for both algal and ZFL cells, while the photocatalytical properties of TiO 2 particles may produce mixed effects on the cytotoxicity of green algae.