Elemental bioimaging of Al2O3/ZrO2/TiO2 nanoparticles in lung tissue

Introduction

Nanotechnology is one of the key developments of the 21st century. Nanoparticles are used in a wide variety of industrial, military and medical applications. Titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) nanoparticles are one of the most frequently used nanomaterials, for example in sunscreens as UV blocker or as antibacterial textile coating. Aluminum oxide (Al2O3 ) nanoparticles are used as abrasionresistant coating in the automobile industry. In addition to that, grinding dusts can contain Al2O3 as well as zirconium dioxide (ZrO2 ) nanoparticles. Because of the small diameter, the nanoparticles can enter the body through the lungs and are able to cause inflammation or cell defects in the lung tissue. To be able to assess the long-term toxicity of nanoparticles, the distribution in affected organs plays an important role. Elemental bioimaging by means of laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is a useful tool to analyze various elements in tissue sections. Here, the distribution and concentration of mixed oxide nanoparticles in rat lung tissue was analyzed.

October 27, 2020 GMT