Abstract
Till now there is a general lack of information concerning the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of nanoparticles. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO(2)NPs) were synthesized using Trichoderma harzianum and characterized by Fourier Transmission Infrared spectroscopy, Ultra-Violet visible spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscope. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay revealed the concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects of TiO(2)NPs in a concentration range of 7.8 to 500 mu g/ml. The reduction in proliferation of CaCO2 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines was observed in a concentration dependent manner which became more clear especially at higher (500 mu g/ml) concentrations of TiO(2)NPs. The anti-proliferative effect of TiO(2)NPs treatment was more potent on CaCO2 than MDA-MB-231 cells, where the IC50 was 124 and 107 mu g/ml respectively. Exposure of CaCO2 cell line to 7.80, 15.60, 31.25, 62.50, 125, 250 and 500 mu g/ml of TiO(2)NPs showed an increase by 1.10, 1.54, 1.83, 2.64, 3.76, 4.76 and 5.21 fold respectively in SOD activity with respect to untreated control. The effect of low concentrations of TiO(2)NPs up to 62.5 mu g/ml was weakly induced the release of LDH, while followed these concentrations become high. DNA "laddering" pattern in CaCO2 cells treated with TiO2NP is one of the reasons for cell death.