Transcriptomics analysis reveals new insights in rutile- and anatase-induced molecular alterations in a mouse model of colon cancer

The growing concerns regarding the hazards of foodborne titanium dioxide (TiO2, E171), a frequently used food additive, have sparked substantial interest in investigating its effect on tumorigenesis. However, there is a dearth of studies examining the toxic impacts of the two principal crystalline phases, anatase (TiO2-A) and rutile (TiO2-R), on macrophages in colitis-associated colon tumors. The present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms behind the tumour stimulatory effects of TiO2-A and TiO2-R in combination with azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sodium sulphate (DSS). C57BL/6 mice underwent exposure to 0.1 wt% TiO2-A and TiO2-R in diet for 10 weeks. Whole genome mRNA microarray analyses on the distal colon were performed.