The mitigating effects of N-acetylcysteine on TiO2 nanoparticles-induced toxicity: Efficacy in cytotoxicity reduction in vitro and complexity in vivo

To investigate how the antioxidants N-Acetyl- L -cysteine (NAC) and Vitamin C (Vc) exert optimal antioxidant effects to mitigate the cytotoxicity induced by titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 Nanoparticles, TNPs), this study employed human normal colon epithelial cells (NCM460), human hepatocyte L-02 cells, C57BL/6 mice and Drosophila melanogaster . In NCM460 cells experiment (48 h), results showed that TNPs+NAC co-exposure significantly inhibited malondialdehyde (MDA), enhancing total antioxidant capacity, and reducing chromosomal damage and cell death. This protective sequence was validated in L-02 cells experiment (144 h). In C57BL/6 mice, TNPs+NAC co-exposure reduced the micronucleus frequency in bone marrow polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs), yet had no significant effect on Morris water maze behavior. Conversely, it adversely affected climbing ability in Drosophila melanogaster . Our study concludes that TNPs + NAC co-exposure effectively mitigates cytotoxicity of TNPs in vitro by enhancing antioxidant effects. However, in vivo outcomes may differ due to factors such as exposure routes and individual variations.