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Stapleton is also a Faculty Member at Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute.
The majority of nanoparticles are created artificially, with only a few occurring naturally. Thousands of items, ranging from sunscreens to pharmaceuticals to sports equipment, contain these particles. They are highly appreciated because they can improve the efficacy of drugs and develop items that are both strong and light.
Nanoparticles get their name from the fact that they are less than 100 nanometers wide, or tens of thousands of times smaller than a single strand of human hair. Despite their use, nanoscale materials are not well understood, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, with “very little known about the possible impacts on human health and the environment.”
Scientists were surprised to find titanium dioxide in the “control” group of rats who had not been given nanoparticles to inhale during the experiment. It was found that the animals’ food included titanium dioxide. As a consequence, the scientists were able to see how the metal passed through the body of a rat.
The study came about as a result of a study into the reasons for low birth weight in humans. Newborns weighing less than 5.5 pounds are at risk of developing health problems as infants and later in life.
One possibility, according to Stapleton, is that mothers who had kids with low birth weights breathed harmful particles. The resultant inflammation may have an impact on internal systems such as blood circulation in the uterus, inhibiting the growth of the fetus.
Now that we know that the nanoparticles migrate—from the mother’s lungs to the placenta and fetal tissues—we can work on answering other questions. This detail of transfer will help inform future studies of exposure during pregnancy, fetal health, and the developmental onset of disease.
Phoebe Stapleton, Study Author and Assistant Professor, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University
Brian Buckley and Cathleen Doherty of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, as well as Jeanine D’Errico and Jarett Reyes George of the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, were among the other Rutgers researchers on the study.
Journal Reference:
D'Errico, J. N., et al. (2022) Maternal, placental, and fetal distribution of titanium after repeated titanium dioxide nanoparticle inhalation through pregnancy. Placenta. doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2022.03.008.