Tattoo ink nanoparticles in skin tissue and fibroblasts.

Colin A Grant,Desmond J Tobin,Peter C Twigg,Richard Baker

doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.120

Abstract

Tattooing has long been practised in various societies all around the world and is becoming increasingly common and widespread in the West. Tattoo ink suspensions unquestionably contain pigments composed of nanoparticles, i.e., particles of sub-100 nm dimensions. It is widely acknowledged that nanoparticles have higher levels of chemical activity than their larger particle equivalents. However, assessment of the toxicity of tattoo inks has been the subject of little research and ink manufacturers are not obliged to disclose the exact composition of their products. This study examines tattoo ink particles in two fundamental skin components at the nanometre level. We use atomic force microscopy and light microscopy to examine cryosections of tattooed skin, exploring the collagen fibril networks in the dermis that contain ink nanoparticles. Further, we culture fibroblasts in diluted tattoo ink to explore both the immediate impact of ink pigment on cell viability and also to observe the interaction between particles and the cells.

Highlights

The act of tattooing has been practised for many centuries in a number of countries including Japan, China, New Zealand as well as in regions of North Africa
The Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and particle size distribution results are in strong agreement with Høgsberg et al, who carried out a large study of 58 tattoo inks of six different colours [24], where 99.94% of the volume of ink was made up from particles smaller than 100 nm
In this study we have demonstrated that a commercially available black tattoo ink contains nanoparticles and that the modal particle size can be reduced by simple filtration

Summary

Introduction

The act of tattooing has been practised for many centuries in a number of countries including Japan, China, New Zealand as well as in regions of North Africa. In this study we have used AFM to assess two fundamental components of skin dermis (fibroblasts and their secreted product, collagen) following interaction with tattoo ink particles. We investigate the cell viability of dermal fibroblasts after incubation with filtered/ unfiltered diluted tattoo ink and discuss these results in the context of nanoparticle research.

Results

Conclusion