Health Effects of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Food, Cosmetics, and the Environment
This research community investigates the biological and toxicological impacts of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, focusing on their safety as food additives (E171), ingredients in personal care products, and environmental pollutants.
The work centers on the characterization of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and their effects on biological systems. Recurring themes include oxidative stress, DNA damage, and gene expression changes in cell cultures and animal models, particularly rats and mice. A significant portion of the literature addresses oral exposure and the interaction of these particles with the gut microbiota. Methodologies frequently employ mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography to analyze biological responses. While titanium is the dominant subject, the community also includes studies on zinc oxide and silicon dioxide nanoparticles, often in the context of comparative toxicity or mixed exposures. The research aims to determine dose-response relationships and identify potential mechanisms of harm in human health and ecological systems.
The community is most heavily associated with titanium research, comprising 1.7% of all titanium-related papers tracked, with 910 papers in this group. Zinc and zirconium research also appear, but with significantly smaller shares of their respective element literatures.
The community comprises 1,363 papers, with the highest concentration of publications in Particle and Fibre Toxicology, Nanotoxicology, and Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Recent work continues to focus on the toxicological assessment of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, including studies on pharyngeal aspiration, neurotoxicity pathways, and effects on reproductive health in aquatic species.
Papers behind this description
- Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles: Prospects and Applications in Medicine — Nanomaterials, 2020 — doi:10.3390/nano10020387
- Safety assessment of titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive — EFSA Journal, 2021 — doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6585
- Titanium Dioxide: Structure, Impact, and Toxicity — International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022 — doi:10.3390/ijerph19095681
- Neurotoxicity of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles: A Comprehensive Review — International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2023 — doi:10.2147/ijn.s442801
- Influence of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Human Health and the Environment — Nanomaterials, 2021 — doi:10.3390/nano11092354
- Development of a plasma pseudotargeted metabolomics method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry — Nature Protocols, 2020 — doi:10.1038/s41596-020-0341-5
- Toxicity spectrum and detrimental effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles as an emerging pollutant: A review — Desalination and Water Treatment, 2024 — doi:10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100025
- An updated review of industrially relevant titanium dioxide and its environmental health effects — Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters, 2023 — doi:10.1016/j.hazl.2023.100085
- Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases, frontotemporal lobar degeneration and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis overlapping neuropathology start in the first two decades of life in pollution exposed urbanites and brain ultrafine particulate matter and industrial nanoparticles, including Fe, Ti, Al, V, Ni, Hg, Co, Cu, Zn, Ag, Pt, Ce, La, Pr and W are key players. Metropolitan Mexico City health crisis is in progress — Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2024 — doi:10.3389/fnhum.2023.1297467
- Effects of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Exposure on Human Health—a Review — Biological Trace Element Research, 2019 — doi:10.1007/s12011-019-01706-6
- Dynamic QSAR modeling for predicting in vivo genotoxicity and inflammation induced by nanoparticles and advanced materials: a time-dose-property/response approach — Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2025 — doi:10.1186/s12951-025-03510-y
- Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Food and Personal Care Products—What Do We Know about Their Safety? — Nanomaterials, 2020 — doi:10.3390/nano10061110
- Exploring the Anticancer Effect of Reduced Graphene Oxide–Titanium Dioxide (rGO-TiO₂) Nanocomposite against Oral Cancer — BioNanoScience, 2025 — doi:10.1007/s12668-025-02244-3
- Biodistribution and toxicity following a single or repeated pharyngeal aspiration of titanium dioxide nanoparticles: Determination of maximum allowable dose level — Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.taap.2025.117477
- Neuroprotective potential of fortunellin against titanium dioxide nanoparticles induced neurotoxicity via regulating NLRP3, HMGB1/RAGE, and NF-κB pathway: A biochemical, histological and in-silico experimentation — Toxicon, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108562
- Environmentally friendly synthesis and biological activity assessment of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) leaf extract — Next Materials, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.nxmate.2025.101323
- Unravelling the role of environmentally realistic concentrations of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in altering gametogenesis and gonadal health of female Pacific oysters (Magallana gigas): a histopathological approach — Aquatic Toxicology, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2025.107539
- Toxicological Effects of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Human Menstrual Blood Mesenchymal Stem Cells — International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025 — doi:10.3390/ijms262211168