The side effects induced by nanoparticle exposure at a cellular level are one of the priority research topics due to the steady increase in the use of nanoparticles (NPs). Recently, the focus on cellular morphology and mechanical behavior is gaining relevance in order to fully understand the cytotoxic mechanisms. In this regard, we have evaluated the morphomechanical alteration in human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) exposed to TiO2NPs at two different concentrations (25 and 50 µg/mL) and two time points (24 and 48 h). By using confocal and atomic force microscopy, we demonstrated that TiO2NP exposure induces significant alterations in cellular membrane elasticity, due to actin proteins rearrangement in cytoskeleton, as calculated in correspondence to nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments. In this work, we have emphasized the alteration in mechanical properties of the cellular membrane, induced by nanoparticle exposure.
Keywords: biomechanics; cytotoxicity; scanning force microscopy.