Abstract
This study examines the ability of optically-excited titanium dioxide nanoparticles to influence voltage-gated ion channels in retinal horizontal cells. Voltage clamp recordings were obtained in the presence and absence of TiO2 and ultraviolet laser excitation. Significant current changes were observed in response to UV light, particularly in the −40 mV to +40 mV region where voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels have the highest conductance. Cells in proximity to UV-excited TiO2 exhibited a left-shift in the current–voltage relation of around 10 mV in the activation of Na+ currents. These trends were not observed in control experiments where cells were excited with UV light without being exposed to TiO2. Electrostatic force microscopy confirmed that electric fields can be induced in TiO2 with UV light. Simulations using the Hodgkin–Huxley model yielded results which agreed with the experimental data and showed the I-V characteristics of individual ion channels in the presence of UV-excited TiO2.
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