Avicenna J Med Biotech arij002 Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology 2008-2835 2008-4625 Avicenna Research Institute ajmb40453 Developmental Toxicity of the Neural Tube Induced by Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Mouse Embryos MohamadzadehNahidZirak JavanmardMasoumehKarimipourMojtabaFarjahGholamhosain 13 2 74 80 4 8 2020 7 11 2020

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt">Background:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> This study investigated the potential effects of Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Tio<sub>2</sub>NPs) followed by maternal gavage on fetal development and neural tube formation during pregnancy in mice.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt">Methods:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> Thirty pregnant mice were randomly divided into five main study groups including the untreated control and 4 experimental groups (n=6 per group). The control group was treated with normal saline and the experimental groups were orally treated with doses of 30, 150, 300, and 500 <em>mg/kg</em> Body Weight (BW) of Tio<sub>2</sub>NPs during pregnancy. On gestational day 16 and 19 (n=3 per group), pregnant mice were euthanized and then examined for neural tube defects and compared with control. Serial transverse sections were prepared in both cranial region and in lumbar region of spinal cord. </span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt">Results:</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> Treatment with Tio<sub>2</sub>NPs resulted in low fetal weight and short length, dilation of lateral ventricle, thinning of cerebral cortex and spinal cord, spina bifida occulta and an increase in the number of apoptotic neurons in exposed embryos at doses of 300 and 500 <em>mg/kg</em> (p&lt;0.05). </span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-size:9.5pt">Conclusion:</span> It seems that exposure to nanoparticles of Tio<sub>2</sub> during pregnancy induces growth retardation and for the first time, teratogenicity of this nanomaterial in neural tube development and induction of defects such as spinal bifida, reduction in cortical thickness and&nbsp; dilatation of lateral ventricles were verified which can be related to incidence of apoptosis in central nervous system.</span></p>