Titanium dioxide nanomaterials cause endothelial cell leakiness by disrupting the homophilic interaction of VE–cadherin

Nanoparticles can accumulate in tissues but how they interact with cells is poorly understood. Here Setyawati and colleagues report that titanium dioxide nanoparticles disrupt protein complexes of the tight junction protein VE-cadherin on endothelial cells to increase blood vessel permeability.