Another NTP initiative are the studies of nanoscale materials, fullerenes, which are of interest for many uses including drug delivery, and nanoscale titanium dioxide, which is used in sunscreen and whitening agents. These compounds characterized with specific attention paid to particle size and surface characteristics. In support of an upcoming 90-day gavage study, purity analysis is in progress of the C60 fullerene. Method development for the analysis of mouse plasma, liver, lung, kidney, and gut tissues are in progress. There was no significant difference between the teflong extraction compared to plastic tubes. Comparison of different lots of blood sources showed no difference when analyzed after initial preparation however after 14 days of stability in both teflon and plastic the data indicates that there is variability between the different lots of blood but not in the actual storage containers. Because traditional methods failed, grinding procedure incorporating a bead mill was performed on samples to obtain the appropriate particle sample size.
