Notice of RetractionReproductive Toxicity of Anatase TiO2 Nanoparticles in Caenorhabditis elegans

The potential harmful effects of manufactured nanoparticles have caused great attention in recent years. However, the particle size effect on the toxicity of nanoparticles is still largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the physicochemical properties of anatase titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2) at either 5 nm or 40 nm and their reproductive toxicity effects on Caenorhabditis elegans. There was a dose-dependent increase of germ cell death in C. elegans exposed to 5 nm TiO2 at graded concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 μg/mL for 24 h. The brood size was dramatically decreased in a dose-dependent manner in C. elegans exposed to TiO2 at 5 nm, while the brood size was not much altered by TiO2 at 40 nm. Our data clearly demonstrated that the particle size played an essential role in the reproductive toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles in C. elegans.