Structural properties of rutile TiO 2 nanoparticles accumulated in a model of gastrointestinal epithelium elucidated by micro-beam x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy

G. Veronesi (1) , E. Brun (2) , B. Fayard (1) , M. Cotte (1) , M. Carriere (2)

1 ESRF - European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
2 LSDRM - Laboratoire Structure et Dynamique par Résonance Magnétique (LCF)

Micro-beam x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy was used to investigate rutile TiO2 nanoparticles internalized into gastrointestinal cells during their crossing of a gut model barrier. Nanoparticles diluted in culture medium tend to accumulate in cells after 48 h exposure; however, no spectral differences arise between particles in cellular and in acellular environments, as corroborated by quantitative analysis. This finding establishes that no modification of the lattice properties of the nanoparticles occurs upon interaction with the barrier. These measurements demonstrate the possibility of interrogating nanoparticles in situ within cells, suggesting a way to investigate their fate when incorporated in biological hosts.

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

G. Veronesi, E. Brun, B. Fayard, M. Cotte, M. Carriere. Structural properties of rutile TiO 2 nanoparticles accumulated in a model of gastrointestinal epithelium elucidated by micro-beam x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Applied Physics Letters, 2012, 100 (21), ⟨10.1063/1.4720172⟩. ⟨hal-01930643⟩