Mineralization of Ti[O.sub.2] nanoparticles for the determination of titanium in rat tissues

In order to draw appropriate conclusions about the possible adverse biological effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Ti[O.sub.2]-NPs), the so-called 'dose-effect' relationship must be explored. This requires proper quantification of titanium in complex matrices such as animal organs for future toxicological studies. This study presents the method development for mineralizing Ti[O.sub.2]-NPs for analysis of biological tissues. We compared the recovery and quantification limits of the four most commonly used mineralization methods for metal oxides. Microwave-assisted dissolution in an HN[O.sub.3]-HF mixture followed by [H.sub.2][O.sub.2] treatment produced the best results for a Ti[O.sub.2]-NPs suspension, with 96 [+ or -] 8% recovery and a limit of quantification as low as 0.9 [micro]g/L. This method was then used for the determination of titanium levels in tissue samples taken from rats. However, our tests revealed that even this method is not sensitive enough for quantifying titanium levels in single olfactory bulbs or hippocampus in control animals. Keywords: titanium, nanoparticles, mineralization, toxicology, rat, ICP-MS DOI: 10.1134/S1061934816040043
Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are widely produced today, with an estimated upper bound of 38000 tons per year manufactured in the United States alone [1]. They are found in many commercial [...]