Titanate nanotubes
(TiNTs) produced by the static hydrothermal
process present a promising nanosystem for nanomedicine. However,
the behavior of these nanotubes in vivo is not yet clarified. In this
work, for the first time, we investigated the toxicity of these materials,
their pharmacokinetic profile, and their biodistribution in mice.
A high dose of TiNTs (45 mg/kg) was intravenously injected in mice
and monitored from 6 h to 45 days. The histological examination of
organs and the analysis of liver and kidney function markers and then
the inflammatory response were in agreement with a long-term innocuity
of these nanomaterials. The parameters of pharmacokinetics revealed
the rapid clarification of TiNTs from the bloodstream after 6 h of
the intravenous injection which then mainly accumulated in the liver
and spleen, and their degradation and clearance in these tissues were
relatively slow (>4 weeks). Interestingly, an important property
of
these materials is their slow dissolution under the lysosome acid
environment, rendering them biodegradable. It is noteworthy that TiNTs
were directly eliminated in urine and bile ducts without obvious toxicity
in mice. Altogether, all these typical in vivo tests studying the
TiNT pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and biodistribution are supporting
the use of these biocompatible nanomaterials in the biomedical field,
especially as a nanocarrier-based drug delivery system.