Titanium dioxide nanoparticles exacerbate DSS-induced colitis: role of the NLRP3 inflammasome.

OBJECTIVE: Western lifestyle and diet are major environmental factors playing a role in the development of IBD. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are widely used as food additives or in pharmaceutical formulations and are consumed by millions of people on a daily basis. We investigated the effects of TiO2 in the development of colitis and the role of the nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain receptor, pyrin domain containing (NLRP)3 inflammasome. DESIGN: Wild-type and NLRP3-deficient mice with dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis were orally administered with TiO2 nanoparticles. The proinflammatory effects of TiO2 particles in cultured human intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and macrophages were also studied, as well as the ability of TiO2 crystals to traverse IEC monolayers and accumulate in the blood of patients with IBD using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Oral administration of TiO2 nanoparticles worsened acute colitis through a mechanism involving the NLRP3 inflammasome. Importantly, crystals were found to accumulate in spleen of TiO2-administered mice. In vitro, TiO2 particles were taken up by IECs and macrophages and triggered NLRP3-ASC-caspase-1 assembly, caspase-1 cleavage and the release of NLRP3-associated interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-18. TiO2 also induced reactive oxygen species generation and increased epithelial permeability in IEC monolayers. Increased levels of titanium were found in blood of patients with UC having active disease. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that individuals with a defective intestinal barrier function and pre-existing inflammatory condition, such as IBD, might be negatively impacted by the use of TiO2 nanoparticles.

Deficiency of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Non-Receptor Type 2 in Intestinal Epithelial Cells Has No Appreciable Impact on Dextran Sulphate Sodium Colitis Severity But Promotes Wound Healing.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 (PTPN2) is known to mediate susceptibility to inflammatory bowel diseases. Cell culture experiments suggest that PTPN2 influences barrier function, autophagy and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. PTPN2 knockout mice die a few weeks after birth due to systemic inflammation, emphasizing the importance of this phosphatase in inflammatory processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of PTPN2 in colon epithelial cells by performing dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in PTPN2xVilCre mice. METHODS: Acute colitis was induced by administering 2.5 or 2% DSS for 7 days and chronic colitis by 4 cycles of treatment using 1% DSS. Body weight of mice was measured regularly and colonoscopy was done at the end of the experiments. Mice were sacrificed afterwards and colon specimens were obtained for H&E staining. For analysis of wound healing, mechanical wounds were introduced during endoscopy and wound closure assessed by daily colonoscopy. RESULTS: Although colonoscopy and weight development suggested changes in colitis severity, the lack of any influence of PTPN2 deficiency on histological scoring for inflammation severity after acute or chronic DSS colitis indicates that colitis severity is not influenced by epithelial-specific loss of PTPN2. Chronic colitis induced the development of aberrant crypt foci more frequently in PTPN2xVilCre mice compared to their wild type littermates. On the other hand, loss of PTPN2-induced enhanced epithelial cell proliferation and promoted wound closure. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of PTPN2 in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) has no significant influence on inflammation in DSS colitis. Obviously, loss of PTPN2 in IECs can be compensated in vivo, thereby suppressing a phenotype. This lack of a colitis-phenotype might be due to enhanced epithelial cell proliferation and subsequent increased wound-healing capacity of the epithelial layer.