A nanostructured TiO2 electrode chemisorbed with probe deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) can photoelectrochemically detect a dye-labeled target DNA molecule. After the hybridization between the probe and target DNA molecules, light irradiation generates electrons in the dye molecules, and these electrons are injected into the TiO2 electrode. The resulting photocurrent can be measured and corresponds to the concentration of target DNA. This sensor can quantitatively detect target DNA at lower than nanomolar concentrations. In addition, by utilizing two different dyes, different DNA sequences can be detected on the TiO2 electrode.

Sonodynamic therapy is expected to be a novel therapeutic strategy for malignant gliomas. The titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticle, a photosensitizer, can be activated by ultrasound. In this study, by using water-dispersed TiO 2 nanoparticles, an in vitro comparison was made between the photodynamic and sonodynamic damages on U251human glioblastoma cell lines. Water-dispersed TiO 2 nanoparticles were constructed by the adsorption of chemically modified polyethylene glycole (PEG) on the TiO 2 surface (TiO 2 /PEG). To evaluate cytotoxicity, U251 monolayer cells were incubated in culture medium including 100 μg/ml of TiO 2 /PEG for three hours and subsequently irradiated by

Titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) is thought to be a photocatalytic agent excited by UV light. Our aim was to investigate the photocatalytic antitumor effect of water-dispersed TiO(2) nanoparticles on C6 rat glioma cells and to evaluate the treatment responses by the spheroid models. Water-dispersed TiO(2) nanoparticles were constructed by the adsorption of chemical modified polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the TiO(2) surface (TiO(2)/PEG). Each monolayer and spheroid of C6 cells was coincubated with various concentrations of TiO(2)/PEG and subsequently irradiated with UV light. Damage of the cells and spheroids was evaluated sequentially by staining with the fluorescent dyes. The cytotoxic effect was correlated with the concentration of TiO(2)/PEG and the energy dose of UV irradiation. More than 90% of cells were killed after 13.5 J cm(-2) of UV irradiation in the presence of 500 microg mL(-1) TiO(2)/PEG. The irradiated spheroids in the presence of TiO(2)/PEG showed growth suppression compared with control groups. In TiO(2)/PEG-treated spheroids, the number of Annexin V-FITC-stained cells gradually increased during the first 6 h, and subsequently propidium iodide-stained cells appeared. The results of this study suggest that newly developed photoexcited TiO(2)/PEG have antitumoral activity. Photodynamic therapy utilizing this material can be a clue to a novel therapeutic strategy for glioma.

Nanoparticles (NPs) are tiny materials used in a wide range of industrial and medical applications. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a type of nanoparticle that is widely used in paints, pigments, and cosmetics; however, little is known about the impact of TiO2 on human health and the environment. Therefore, considerable research has focused on characterizing the potential toxicity of nanoparticles such as TiO2 and on understanding the mechanism of TiO2 NP-induced nanotoxicity through the evaluation of biomarkers. Uncoated TiO2 NPs tend to aggregate in aqueous media, and these aggregates decrease cell viability and induce expression of stress-related genes, such as those encoding interleukin-6 (IL-6) and heat shock protein 70B’ (HSP70B’), indicating that TiO2 NPs induce inflammatory and heat shock responses. In order to reduce their toxicity, we conjugated TiO2 NPs with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to eliminate aggregation. Our findings indicate that modifying TiO2 NPs with PEG reduces their cytotoxicity and reduces the induction of stress-related genes. Our results also suggest that TiO2 NP-induced effects on cytotoxicity and gene expression vary depending upon the cell type and surface modification.

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