Zsófia Kertész

Investigation of micronized titanium dioxide penetration in human skin xenografts and its effect on cellular functions of human skin-derived cells

Abstract:  Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are ubiquitously used materials in everyday life (e.g. paints, household products and plastic goods). However, despite the wide array of common applications, their pathogenetic role was also suggested under certain conditions (e.g. pulmonary neoplasias and lung fibrosis). From a dermatological point of view, it is also of great importance that TiO2 also serves as a physical photoprotective agent in sunscreens and is widely used in various cosmetic products. However, the effect of TiO2 on human cutaneous functions is still unknown. Therefore, in the current study, we investigated the in vivo penetration of TiO2 via human skin transplanted to immunodeficient mice and, furthermore, we measured the in vitro effects of nanoparticles on various functional properties of numerous epidermal and dermal cells in culture. Hereby, using various nuclear microscopy methods, we provide the first evidence that TiO2 nanoparticles in vivo do not penetrate through the intact epidermal barrier. However, we also report that TiO2, when exposed directly to cell cultures in vitro, exerts significant and cell‐type dependent effects on such cellular functions as viability, proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation. Therefore, our novel findings will hopefully inspire one to systemically explore in future, clinically oriented trials whether there is indeed a risk from micronized TiO2‐containing products on skin with an impaired stratum corneum barrier function.

The debrecen scanning nuclear microprobe and its applications in biology and environmental science

Nuclear microscopy is one of the most powerful tools which are able to determine quantitative trace element distributions in complex samples on a microscopic scale. The advantage of nuclear microprobes are that different ion beam analytical techniques, like PIXE, RBS, STIM and NRA can be applied at the same time allowing the determination of the sample structure, major, minor and trace element distribution simultaneously.In this paper a nuclear microprobe setup developed for the microanalysis of thin complex samples of organic matrix at the Debrecen Scanning Nuclear Microprobe Facility is presented. The application of nuclear microscopy in life sciences is shown through an example, the study of penetration of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles of bodycare cosmetics in skin layers.