Hepatic and Renal Toxicity Induced by TiO₂ Nanoparticles in Rats: A Morphological and Metabonomic Study

Figure 3

Morphology of the liver in control rats (a, c) or in animals exposed to TiO₂ nanoparticles (16g/kg) and sacrificed after 4 days (b, d-h). (a-f) paraffin sections stained with Masson’s trichrome; (g, h) semifine sections stained with toluidine blue. At low magnification, liver parenchyma of animals exposed to TiO₂ (b) presents histopathological alterations as compared to control tissue (a). These morphological alterations were principally located around centrilobular veins (CV). In this area, numerous vacuoles (arrows) are visible in hepatocytes of treated animals (d) but not in control (c). Focally, TiO2 nanoparticles induce necrosis of hepatocyte plates (e). These necrotic areas are characterized by a lysis of liver parenchyma and the presence of numerous pyknotic nuclei (arrows) (e). At high magnification, TiO₂ aggregates (arrows) are visible inside Kupffer cells located in the sinusoids (f, h). The TiO2 nanoparticles were internalized and aggregated inside phagolysosomes and appeared as spherical refringent inclusions (arrow). Numerous clear vacuoles (arrow heads) (f) and some spherical refringent inclusions (arrow heads) (g) are also present in hepatocytes of treated animals. (PT: portal tract).

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