03/11/2025 - Anne BURTEY : Titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles in the mother-to-offspring continuum: impact on mammary cells and detection in human, animal and infant formula milk

LES LUNDIS DE SAINT-ANTOINE

Bâtiment Kourilsky - 11h–12h

Salle des Conférences (Rez de Chaussée),

184 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, Paris

***

LUNDI 03 NOVEMBRE 2025

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles in the mother-to-offspring continuum: impact on mammary cells and detection in human, animal and infant formula milk

Anne BURTEY

 Chargée de recherche à INRAE UMR 1313 GABI Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative - Invitée par Viviane Balloy Equipe Harriet Corvol & Loïc Guillot (viviane.balloy@inserm.fr)

Invitée par Viviane BALLOY équipe Harriet CORVOL & Loïc GUILLOT (viviane.balloy@inserm.fr)

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles are widely present in numerous daily life products. The recent detection of these particles in the air, soil, groundwater and surface water, and even in rain, is concerning given that The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified them as a potential carcinogen in humans upon inhalation.
The first evidence of human exposure was found in placenta and the first stools of newborn, indicating that they can be transferred in utero. In this study, we examined milk to investigate maternal and offspring exposure after birth. Using atomic spectroscopy approaches at The Lariboisière Hospital and the SOLEIL synchrotron, we demonstrated the presence of TiO2 particles in all analyzed samples of human, animal and infant formula milk. In vitro, dual reflectance/fluorescence confocal microscopy analysis revealed the intracellular localization of TiO2 particles in human mammary MCF-7 cells. Not only TiO2 particles accumulated in CD63 positive late endosomes, but they also induced an enlargement of the latter, which correlated with alterations in their function in the biogenesis of Extracellular Vesicles (EVs). Finally, our results suggest that EVs may act as a vector for TiO2 particles secretion in milk. Taken together, our findings raise concerns about the potential health impact of such exposure on both mothers and infants, particularly during the critical period of postnatal development.