Environmental Toxicity and Antimicrobial Efficiency of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Suspension

The aim of this work was to evaluate the photokilling efficiency of synthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles in suspension. Two strains of Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus and Staphylococcus aureus were used as probes to test the photokilling activities of the nanoparticles. The authors evaluated the LC50 values of the nanoparticles suspension by counting the Colony-Forming Units. Results highlighted the differences in bacteria sensitivity facing photokilling treatment induced by the irradiation of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles suspension. An effect of UV irradiation was evaluated by the quantification of hydrogen peroxide generated by the photolysis of water molecules in presence of the nanoparticles with or without the most resistant bacterium (S. aureus). After 30 minutes with UV irradiation in these two conditions, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was 35 mu M in presence of 1.2 g.L super( -1) TiO sub( 2) suspension. This result suggested that the resistance mechanism of S. aureus was not due to an extracelullar H2O2 enzymatic degradation.