Titanium dioxide nanoparticles may accumulate and cause DNA damage

In a 2022 study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, scientists wanted to examine the effects of titanium dioxide as a food additive on atherosclerosis in mice. (Atherosclerosis refers to a hardening of the arteries.) Researchers fed mice 40 mg/kg of the food additive every day for 4 months, and found that it not only altered gut microbiota but also led to a significantly increased atherosclerotic lesion area, especially in animals that consumed a high-choline western diet (HCD).

In a study published in the journal Toxicology, researchers examined the effects of exposing human colon cancer cell line (HTC116) titanium dioxide food additives in vitro. “In the absence of cytotoxicity, E171 was accumulated in the cells after 24 hours of exposure, increasing granularity and reactive oxygen species, inducing alterations in the molecular pattern of nucleic acids and lipids, and causing nuclei enlargement, DNA damage and tubulin depolymerization,” the scientists wrote. Researchers removed the additive from the culture, then examined the results 48 hours later. They found, “The removal of E171 was unable to revert the alterations found after 24 h of exposure in colon cells. In conclusion, exposure to E171 causes alterations that cannot be reverted after 48 h if E171 is removed from colon cells.”

2. Barite calcination method A solution of barium sulfide is prepared. The sulfuric acid and zinc oxide are reacted, purified by adding potassium permanganate and zinc powder, and compressed to obtain a zinc sulfate solution. Then, the prepared barium sulfide solution is mixed and subjected to a metathesis reaction to obtain a mixture of zinc sulfide and barium sulfate, and then the precipitate is subjected to pressure filtration, calcination, wet grinding, drying, and pulverization to obtain a zinc white product.

Because of health risks, France banned titanium dioxide as a food additive in 2020. Two years later the European Union also banned titanium dioxide as a food additive. 

Lithopone

Infrared analysis showed that the characteristics bands for the bare nanoparticles are still exhibited in the vitamins@P25TiO₂NPs spectra, such as a wide peak in 450–1028 cm⁻¹ related to the stretching vibration of Ti-O-Ti and other peaks in 1630 cm⁻¹ and 3400 cm⁻¹, which represent the surface OH groups stretching. The IR spectrum of vitaminB2@P25TiO₂NPs showed signs of binding between compounds. The OH bending peak (1634 cm⁻¹) corresponding to bare nanoparticles disappeared, and the NH₂ bending band characteristic of vitamin B2 appeared (1650 cm⁻¹). The IR spectrum of vitaminC@P25TiO₂NPs also showed signs of successful functionalization. Bands at 1075 cm⁻¹; 1120 cm⁻¹; 1141 cm⁻¹ were observed, which are originated by CO-C vibrations present in the vitamin C. The intense band at 1672 cm⁻¹ is attributed to the C = O stretching in the lactone ring while the peak at 1026 cm⁻¹ is ascribed to the stretching vibration Ti-O-C. Wide bands at 3880–3600 cm⁻¹ are related to stretching vibration OH groups, but those disappear in the modified nanoparticles spectrum. These observations confirm the interactions between the P25TiO₂NPs and the vitamins [35].