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Aerosol characterization and lung deposition of synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles for murine inhalation studies

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Abstract

This study presents a novel exposure protocol for synthesized nanoparticles (NPs). NPs were synthesized in gas phase by thermal decomposition of metal alkoxide vapors in a laminar flow reactor. The exposure protocol was used to estimate the deposition fraction of titanium dioxide (TiO2) NPs to mice lung. The experiments were conducted at aerosol mass concentrations of 0.8, 7.2, 10.0, and 28.5 mg m−3. The means of aerosol geometric mobility diameter and aerodynamic diameter were 80 and 124 nm, and the geometric standard deviations were 1.8 and 1.7, respectively. The effective density of the particles was approximately from 1.5 to 1.7 g cm−3. Particle concentration varied from 4 × 105 cm−3 at mass concentrations of 0.8 mg m−3 to 12 × 106 cm−3 at 28.5 mg m−3. Particle phase structures were 74% of anatase and 26% of brookite with respective crystallite sized of 41 and 6 nm. The brookite crystallites were approximately 100 times the size of the anatase crystallites. The TiO2 particles were porous and highly agglomerated, with a mean primary particle size of 21 nm. The specific surface area of TiO2 powder was 61 m2 g−1. We defined mice respiratory minute volume (RMV) value during exposure to TiO2 aerosol. Both TiO2 particulate matter and gaseous by-products affected respiratory parameters. The RMV values were used to quantify the deposition fraction of TiO2 matter by using two different methods. According to individual samples, the deposition fraction was 8% on an average, and when defined from aerosol mass concentration series, it was 7%. These results show that the exposure protocol can be used to study toxicological effects of synthesized NPs.

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Acknowledgements

The article was supported by the Academy of Finland, FinNano-program, Engineered Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, Exposure and Health Hazards (NANOHEALTH)-project (project number 117 924).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, 00250, Helsinki, Finland

    Antti J. Koivisto, Elina M. Rossi, Hanna K. Lindberg, Ghita C.- M. Falck, Hannu Norppa, Harri Alenius, Esa Vanhala, Minnamari Vippola & Kai Savolainen

  2. Department of Environmental Science, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Maija Mäkinen, Mirella Miettinen, Anne Korpi, Pertti Pasanen & Jorma Jokiniemi

  3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland

    Joakim Riikonen

  4. Department of Materials Science, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 589, 33101, Tampere, Finland

    Minnamari Vippola

  5. Department of Physics and Mathematics, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Joakim Riikonen & Vesa-Pekka Lehto

  6. Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), Fine and Nano Particles, P.O. Box 1000, 02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland

    Jorma Jokiniemi

  7. Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Kaarle Hämeri

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  1. Antti J. Koivisto
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Koivisto, A.J., Mäkinen, M., Rossi, E.M. et al. Aerosol characterization and lung deposition of synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles for murine inhalation studies. J Nanopart Res 13, 2949–2961 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-010-0186-x

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