Résumé
Titanium dioxide nanoparticles seem to have a low toxicity to terrestrial organisms, though few studies are published in this area. TiO
2 used in sunscreens are nanocomposites where TiO
2 has been coated with magnesium, silica or alumina, as well as amphiphilic organics like polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS), and these coatings are modified by ageing. We assessed the ecotoxicity and propensity for bioaccumulation of an aged TiO
2 nanocomposite used in sunscreen cosmetics, and its potential effect on the frequency of apoptosis in different earthworm tissues. The earthworm
Lumbricus terrestris was exposed to the TiO
2 nanocomposite for 7
days in water or 2–8
weeks in soil with the nanocomposite mixed either into food or soil at concentrations ranging from 0 to 100
mg
kg
−
1
. Apoptosis was then measured by immunohistochemistry and Ti localized by XRF microscopy. Results showed no mortality, but an enhanced apoptotic frequency which was higher in the cuticule, intestinal epithelium and chloragogenous tissue than in the longitudinal and circular musculature. TiO
2 nanoparticles did not seem to cross the intestinal epithelium/chloragogenous matrix barrier to enter the coelomic liquid, or the cuticule barrier to reach the muscular layers. No bioaccumulation of TiO
2 nanocomposites could thus be observed.
► Apoptosis in earthworms is a sensitive endpoint for assessment of TiO
2 ecotoxicity. ► Exposure to nanoparticles is only marginally lower in soil than in water. ► Sun screen-relevant forms of nanoparticulate TiO
2 do not accumulate in earthworms.