Effect of nanoparticles on human cells from healthy individuals and patients with respiratory diseases.

The effects of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with respiratory diseases (lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma) were compared with those in healthy individuals, to determine differences in sensitivity to nanochemical insult. The observations made show statistically significant concentration-dependent genotoxic effects of TiO2 in both respiratory patient and control groups in the Comet assay. An increase in the pattern of cytogenetic damage measured in the MN assay without statistical significance except when compared to the negative control of healthy individuals was also observed.