Assessment of skin penetration and biohazard in vivo

Lithopone is a white pigment composed of a mixture of barium sulfate (BaSO4) and zinc sulfide (ZnS). It is commonly used in the production of paints, plastics, rubber, and various other industrial applications. As such, manufacturers and distributors often provide Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) to ensure the safe handling and use of the product.

In a 2020 study published in the Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, researchers conducted an in vitro experiment to analyze the effects of TiO2 nanoparticles on a human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell line. The scientists evaluated “reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, apoptosis, cellular antioxidant response, endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy.” The results showed that exposure to the nanoparticles “induced ROS generation in a dose dependent manner, with values reaching up to 10 fold those of controls. Nrf2 nuclear localization and autophagy also increased in a dose dependent manner. Apoptosis increased by 4- to 10-fold compared to the control group, depending on the dose employed.”