In vivo genotoxicity study of titanium dioxide nanoparticles using comet assay following intratracheal instillation in rats

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is widely used as a white pigment in paints, plastics, inks, paper, creams, cosmetics, drugs and foods. In the present study, the genotoxicity of anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles was evaluated in vivo using the comet assay after a single or repeated intratracheal instillation in rats. The nanoparticles were instilled intratracheally at a dosage of 1.0 or 5.0 mg/kg body weight (single instillation group) and 0.2 or 1.0 mg/kg body weight once a week for 5 weeks (repeated instillation group) into male Sprague–Dawley rats. A positive control, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) at 500 mg/kg, was administered orally 3 h prior to dissection. Histopathologically, macrophages and neutrophils were detected in the alveolus of the lung in the 1.0 and 5.0 mg/kg TiO₂ groups. In the comet assay, there was no increase in % tail DNA in any of the TiO₂ groups. In the EMS group, there was a significant increase in % tail DNA compared with the negative control group. TiO₂ nanoparticles in the anatase crystal phase are not genotoxic following intratracheal instillation in rats.