Titanium dioxide nanoparticle absorbed by hepatoma cells in vitro

It is reported that nanoparticles can be applied as carriers and anti-cancer medicines. But the interaction of nanoparticles and cells is unclear. The purpose of this study was to discuss whether inorganic crystal nanoparticles can get through cells with intact crystal. BEL7402 hepatoma cells and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles were selected and incubated together in vitro. All specimens were prepared and observed under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). TiO₂ nanoparticles were found not in the nuclear area but in the cyto-plasma. TiO₂ nanoparticles maintained the plate-like shape during absorbing. The result shows that hepatoma cells can endocytose the intact TiO₂ crystal nanoparticles. It implies that novel nano-effect plays an important role in the biomedicinal application of inorganic crystal nanoparticles.