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Silica modification of titania nanoparticles enhances photocatalytic production of reactive oxygen species without increasing toxicity potential in vitro

Date
2018
Abstract
Titania (TiO2) nanoparticles were surfacemodified using silica and citrate to implement a â safe-by-designâ approach for managing potential toxicity of titania nanoparticles by controlling surface redox reactivity. DLS and zeta-potential analyses confirmed the surface modification, and electron microscopy and surface area measurements demonstrated nanoscale dimensions of the particles. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to determine the exogenous generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). All the produced spray dried nanotitania lowered levels of ROS when compared to the corresponding dispersed nanotitania, suggesting that the spray drying process is an appropriate design strategy for the control of nano TiO2 ROS reactivity. The modification of nanotitania with silica and with citrate resulted in increased levels of ROS generation in exogenous measurements, including photoexcitation for 60 minutes. The dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCFH) assay of dose-dependent production of oxidative stress, generated by pristine and modified nanotitania in macrophages and alveolar epithelial cells, found no significant change in toxicity originating from the generation of reactive oxygen species. Our findings show that there is no direct correlation between the photocatalytic activity of nanotitania and its oxidative stress-mediated potential toxicity, and it is possible to improve the former, for example adding silica as a modifying agent, without altering the cell redox equilibrium.
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Description
peer-reviewed
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry
Citation
RSC Advances;8, pp. 40369-40377
Collections
Bernal Institute
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Keywords
nanoparticles
ULRR Identifiers
https://researchrepository.ul.ie/handle/10344/7444
 https://doi.org/10.34961/4764
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Funding Information
European Research Council (ERC)
Sustainable Development Goals
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Type
Article
Rights
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/
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