ABSTRACT
The genetic safety of titanium dioxide (TD)-containing foods and cosmetic products has been little investigated. The study evaluated the mutagenic activity of TD in the micronucleus test with animal visceral mucosal epithelial cells. Two simethicone-coated anatase samples (mean size 160 and 33.2 nm) were inserted into the mouse stomach in doses of 40-200-1000 mg/kg seven times and applied as an ingredient of 10 and 25% cream (doses 250 and 625 mg/kg, respectively) to the hair-sheared rat skin once for 4 hours. Analysis of cytogenetic disorders (micronuclei, protrusions, and the atypical form of the nucleus) revealed no mutagenic properties of TD on the mucosal epithelium of the mouse and rat intestine, mouse prostomach, and rat uterine bladder. Enhanced mitotic activity was observed in all the study tissues after exposure of both samples to TD given in some or in all (in the rat urinary bladder mucosal epithelium) doses.
Subject(s)
Epithelial Cells/drug effects , Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective/chemically induced , Titanium/toxicity , Administration, Cutaneous , Administration, Oral , Animals , Consumer Product Safety , Cosmetics/toxicity , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Epithelial Cells/ultrastructure , Food Additives/toxicity , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Inbred CBA , Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective/statistics & numerical data , Micronucleus Tests , Mucous Membrane/drug effects , Mucous Membrane/ultrastructure , Organ Specificity , Particle SizeABSTRACT
The paper gives the results of 4-year monitoring of the total mutagenic activity of snow samples from different Magnitogork areas in a test for induction of dominant lethal mutations (DLM) in the gametes of Drosophila melanogaster. An association was first found between the rate of DLM and the content of some chemical compounds in the ambient air and snow samples; moreover all the substances present in the samples, which had found genotoxic effects, showed a positive correlation with the rate of DLM. Furthermore, direct correlations were first established between the rate of DLM and the air pollution index and morbidity rates in 5-7-year-old children residing in the areas under study. The findings allow the test for induction of dominant lethal mutations (DLM) in the gametes of Drosophila melanogaster to be recommended due to its unique informative and prognostic value for monitoring ambient air pollution and for extensive use in the risk assessment system.
