Graphene oxide significantly inhibits cell growth at sublethal concentrations by causing extracellular iron deficiency

Toxicological assessment of pristine and degraded forms of graphene functionalized with MnOx nanoparticles using human in vitro models representing different exposure routes

The development of novel advanced nanomaterials (NMs) with outstanding characteristics for their use in distinct applications needs to be accompanied by the generation of knowledge on their potential toxicological impact, in particular, that derived from different occupational risk exposure routes, such as inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact. The harmful effects of novel graphene-metal oxide composites on human health are not well understood, many toxicological properties have not been investigated yet. The present study has evaluated several toxicological effects associated with graphene decorated with manganese oxide nanoparticles (GNA15), in a comparative assessment with those induced by simple graphene (G2), on human models representing inhalation (A549 cell line), ingestion (HT29 cell line) and dermal routes (3D reconstructed skin). Pristine and degraded forms of these NMs were included in the study, showing to have different physicochemical and toxicological properties. The degraded version of GNA15 (GNA15d) and G2 (G2d) exhibited clear structural differences with their pristine counterparts, as well as a higher release of metal ions. The viability of respiratory and gastrointestinal models was reduced in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of both GNA15 and G2 pristine and degraded forms. Besides this, all NMs induced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in both models. However, the degraded forms showed to induce a higher cytotoxicity effect. In addition, we found that none of the materials produced irritant effects on 3D reconstructed skin when present in aqueous suspensions. These results provide novel insights into the potentially harmful effects of novel multicomponent NMs in a comprehensive manner. Furthermore, the integrity of the NMs can play a role in their toxicity, which can vary depending on their composition and the exposure route.

Potential Environmental and Health Implications from the Scaled-Up Production and Disposal of Nanomaterials Used in Biosensors

Biosensors often combine biological recognition elements with nanomaterials of varying compositions and dimensions to facilitate or enhance the operating mechanism of the device. While incorporating nanomaterials is beneficial to developing high-performance biosensors, at the stages of scale-up and disposal, it may lead to the unmanaged release of toxic nanomaterials. Here we attempt to foster connections between the domains of biosensors development and human and environmental toxicology to encourage a holistic approach to the development and scale-up of biosensors. We begin by exploring the toxicity of nanomaterials commonly used in biosensor design. From our analysis, we introduce five factors with a role in nanotoxicity that should be considered at the biosensor development stages to better manage toxicity. Finally, we contextualize the discussion by presenting the relevant stages and routes of exposure in the biosensor life cycle. Our review found little consensus on how the factors presented govern nanomaterial toxicity, especially in composite and alloyed nanomaterials. To bridge the current gap in understanding and mitigate the risks of uncontrolled nanomaterial release, we advocate for greater collaboration through a precautionary One Health approach to future development and a movement towards a circular approach to biosensor use and disposal.

Dependence of Graphene Oxide (GO) Toxicity on Oxidation Level, Elemental Composition, and Size

The mass production of graphene oxide (GO) unavoidably elevates the chance of human exposure, as well as the possibility of release into the environment with high stability, raising public concern as to its potential toxicological risks and the implications for humans and ecosystems. Therefore, a thorough assessment of GO toxicity, including its potential reliance on key physicochemical factors, which is lacking in the literature, is of high significance and importance. In this study, GO toxicity, and its dependence on oxidation level, elemental composition, and size, were comprehensively assessed. A newly established quantitative toxicogenomic-based toxicity testing approach, combined with conventional phenotypic bioassays, were employed. The toxicogenomic assay utilized a GFP-fused yeast reporter library covering key cellular toxicity pathways. The results reveal that, indeed, the elemental composition and size do exert impacts on GO toxicity, while the oxidation level exhibits no significant effects. The UV-treated GO, with significantly higher carbon-carbon groups and carboxyl groups, showed a higher toxicity level, especially in the protein and chemical stress categories. With the decrease in size, the toxicity level of the sonicated GOs tended to increase. It is proposed that the covering and subsequent internalization of GO sheets might be the main mode of action in yeast cells.

Low Toxicological Impact of Commercial Pristine Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted the attention of academy and industry due to their potential applications, being currently produced and commercialized at a mass scale, but their possible impact on different biological systems remains unclear. In the present work, an assessment to understand the toxicity of commercial pristine multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the unicellular fungal model Saccharomyces cerevisiae is presented. Firstly, the nanomaterial was physico-chemically characterized, to obtain insights concerning its morphological features and elemental composition. Afterwards, a toxicology assessment was carried out, where it could be observed that cell proliferation was negatively affected only in the presence of 800 mg L^-1 for 24 h, while oxidative stress was induced at a lower concentration (160 mg L^-1) after a short exposure period (2 h). Finally, to identify possible toxicity pathways induced by the selected MWCNTs, the transcriptome of S. cerevisiae exposed to 160 and 800 mg L^-1, for two hours, was studied. In contrast to a previous study, reporting massive transcriptional changes when yeast cells were exposed to graphene nanoplatelets in the same exposure conditions, only a small number of genes (130) showed significant transcriptional changes in the presence of MWCNTs, in the higher concentration tested (800 mg L^-1), and most of them were found to be downregulated, indicating a limited biological response of the yeast cells exposed to the selected pristine commercial CNTs.

Leaching of graphene oxide nanosheets in simulated soil and their influences on microbial communities

With the wide use of graphene-like nanosheets, especially in agriculture, their release into the environment, it is crucial to grasp the fate of nanosheets in soil and minimum ecological risks. The present work discovered that leaching and migration of nanosheets (rGO) in soil is affected by soil porosity and adsorption processes. And the contents of rGO-Pd in soil layers and leachate increased and then decreased with the decreased of soil porosity. Moreover, physicochemical properties of rGO-Pd nanosheets changed by leaching processes, especially the changes of morphology, thickness and oxygen functional groups. Leaching of rGO-Pd also interfered the soil microbial homeostasis accompanied by the increase of microbial species richness and community diversity. In addition, rGO-Pd altered the usage of carbon sources by edaphon. The utilization of carbon sources by soil microbes, such as polymers, sugars, phenolic acids, carboxylic acids, amino acids, and amines, was also reduced by nanosheets. These findings provide new insights into environmental behaviors of nanomaterials and nanogeochemistry.

Toxicological evaluation of MnAl based permanent magnets using different in vitro models

Due to economic, environmental and geopolitical issues, the development of permanent magnets with a composition free of rare earth elements and with acceptable magnetic properties has been considered a priority by the international community, being MnAl based alloys amongst the most promising candidates. The aim of this work was to evaluate the toxicity of powders of two forms of newly developed MnAl(C) permanent magnets through exposure experiments applying three model organisms, using as a benchmark powders of a commercial rare-earth-containing magnet (Nd₂Fe₁₄B). For this purpose, the direct exposure to the different particles suspensions as well as to magnets leachates was evaluated. Both viability and oxidative stress assays were applied in an adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell line (A549) and in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, together with the bioluminescent inhibition assay in the Gram negative bacterium Vibrio fischeri. The obtained results indicate that MnAl(C) permanent magnets, in general terms, presented similar toxicity than the Nd magnet for the selected biological models under the studied conditions. Overall, the presented data provide, for the first time, an in vitro toxicity analysis of MnAl based magnets.

Environmental transformation of graphene oxide in the aquatic environment

In recent years, research on graphene oxide (GO) has developed rapidly in both academic and industrial applications such as electronic, biosensor, drug delivery, water treatment and so forth. Based on the large amount of applications, it is anticipated that GO will inevitably find its own way to the environment, if used are not restricted to prevent their release. Environmental transformation is an important transformation process in the natural environment. In this review, we will summarize the recent developments on environmental transformation of GO in the aquatic environment. Although papers on environmental transformation of graphene-based nanomaterials can be found, a systematic picture describing photo-transformation of GO (dividing into different irradiation sources), environmental transformation of GO in the dark environmental, the environmental toxicity of GO are still lacking. Thus, it is essential to summarize how different light sources will affect the GO structure and reactive oxygen species generation in the photo-transformation process, how GO will react with various natural constituents in the aquatic environment, whether GO will toxic to different aquatic organisms and what will be the interactions between GO and the intracellular receptors in the intracellular level once GO released into the aquatic environment. This review will arouse the realization of potential risk that GO can bring to the aquatic environment and enlighten us to pay attention to behaviors of other two-dimensional GO-like nanomaterials, which have been intensively applied and studied in recent years.

Commonalities and Differences in the Transcriptional Response of the Model Fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae to Different Commercial Graphene Oxide Materials

Graphene oxide has become a very appealing nanomaterial during the last years for many different applications, but its possible impact in different biological systems remains unclear. Here, an assessment to understand the toxicity of different commercial graphene oxide nanomaterials on the unicellular fungal model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae was performed. For this task, an RNA purification protocol was optimized to avoid the high nucleic acid absorption capacity of graphene oxide. The developed protocol is based on a sorbitol gradient separation process for the isolation of adequate ribonucleic acid levels (in concentration and purity) from yeast cultures exposed to the carbon derived nanomaterial. To pinpoint potential toxicity mechanisms and pathways, the transcriptome of S. cerevisiae exposed to 160 mg L-1 of monolayer graphene oxide (GO) and graphene oxide nanocolloids (GOC) was studied and compared. Both graphene oxide products induced expression changes in a common group of genes (104), many of them related to iron homeostasis, starvation and stress response, amino acid metabolism and formate catabolism. Also, a high number of genes were only differentially expressed in either GO (236) or GOC (1077) exposures, indicating that different commercial products can induce specific changes in the physiological state of the fungus.

Effects of different graphene-based nanomaterials as elicitors on growth and ganoderic acid production by Ganoderma lucidum

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) have attracted considerable interest nowadays due to their wide range of applications. However, very little attention has been paid to the application of nanomaterials as potential elicitors for production of valuable metabolites. Herein, aiming to earn insight into effects of nanomaterials on secondary metabolite biosynthesis by medicinal fungi, we evaluated the influence of GBNs on growth and production of ganoderic acid (GA) by Ganoderma lucidum in submerged culture. Graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and rGO/Fe₃ O₄ nanocomposite were synthesized successfully and characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy analysis. The prepared nanomaterials were added to the culture of G. lucidum at final concentrations of 50, 100, and 150 mg/L on Day 5. The results showed that the elicitation of G. lucidum with GO and rGO decreased the cell dry weight and GA production slightly, especially in higher concentrations. However, rGO/Fe₃ O₄ nanocomposite not negatively affected cell growth and improved GA production. G. lucidum growth rate responded to elicitation experiments differently and depended on the type of nanomaterials and their concentrations, but almost all GBNs caused an increase in GA content (mg/100 mg dry weight). Also, field emission scanning electron microscopy morphological study showed that under elicitation, mycelia were more condensed and tightly stacked together. The findings from this study may suggest that GBNs in low concentrations could be applied as elicitors to secondary metabolites production from higher fungus, but further environmental, physiological, and biological studies required.

Air pollutants disrupt iron homeostasis to impact oxidant generation, biological effects, and tissue injury

Air pollutants cause changes in iron homeostasis through: 1) a capacity of the pollutant, or a metabolite(s), to complex/chelate iron from pivotal sites in the cell or 2) an ability of the pollutant to displace iron from pivotal sites in the cell. Through either pathway of disruption in iron homeostasis, metal previously employed in essential cell processes is sequestered after air pollutant exposure. An absolute or functional cell iron deficiency results. If enough iron is lost or is otherwise not available within the cell, cell death ensues. However, prior to death, exposed cells will attempt to reverse the loss of requisite metal. This response of the cell includes increased expression of metal importers (e.g. divalent metal transporter 1). Oxidant generation after exposure to air pollutants includes superoxide production which functions in ferrireduction necessary for cell iron import. Activation of kinases and phosphatases and transcription factors and increased release of pro-inflammatory mediators also result from a cell iron deficiency, absolute or functional, after exposure to air pollutants. Finally, air pollutant exposure culminates in the development of inflammation and fibrosis which is a tissue response to the iron deficiency challenging cell survival. Following the response of increased expression of importers and ferrireduction, activation of kinases and phosphatases and transcription factors, release of pro-inflammatory mediators, and inflammation and fibrosis, cell iron is altered, and a new metal homeostasis is established. This new metal homeostasis includes increased total iron concentrations in cells with metal now at levels sufficient to meet requirements for continued function.

Toxicological response of the model fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae to different concentrations of commercial graphene nanoplatelets

Graphene nanomaterials have attracted a great interest during the last years for different applications, but their possible impact on different biological systems remains unclear. Here, an assessment to understand the toxicity of commercial polycarboxylate functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (GN) on the unicellular fungal model Saccharomyces cerevisiae was performed. While cell proliferation was not negatively affected even in the presence of 800 mg L-1 of the nanomaterial for 24 hours, oxidative stress was induced at a lower concentration (160 mg L-1), after short exposure periods (2 and 4 hours). No DNA damage was observed under a comet assay analysis under the studied conditions. In addition, to pinpoint the molecular mechanisms behind the early oxidative damage induced by GN and to identify possible toxicity pathways, the transcriptome of S. cerevisiae exposed to 160 and 800 mg L-1 of GN was studied. Both GN concentrations induced expression changes in a common group of genes (337), many of them related to the fungal response to reduce the nanoparticles toxicity and to maintain cell homeostasis. Also, a high number of genes were only differentially expressed in the GN800 condition (3254), indicating that high GN concentrations can induce severe changes in the physiological state of the yeast.

Graphene-based nanomaterials: the promising active agents for antibiotics-independent antibacterial applications

Graphene-based nanomaterials, such as graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), have shown great potentials in drug delivery and photodynamic/photothermal therapy due to their featured structure and physicochemical properties. In recent years, their antibacterial potentials have also been exploited. The commonly recognized antibacterial mechanisms include sharp edge-mediated cutting effect, oxidative stress and cell entrapment. This antibacterial activity is very important for human health. As we know, infection with the pathogenic bacteria, especially the drug-resistant ones, is a great threat to human lives. Thus, the development of the antibiotics-independent and drug-free antibacterial agents is of great importance and significance. Graphene-based nanomaterials are a kind of such antibacterial agents. An insight into their properties and antibacterial mechanisms is necessary before they are developed into real products. Herein, we provide a comprehensive understanding of the antibacterial application of graphene-based nanomaterials via summarizing their antibacterial activities against some typical microbial species and discussing their unique mechanisms. In addition, the side-effects and problems in using these nanomaterials are also discussed.

Poly-L-Lysine functionalised MWCNT-rGO nanosheets based 3-d hybrid structure for femtomolar level cholesterol detection using cantilever based sensing platform

In this work we have developed a novel rGO-MWCNT (reduced graphene oxide-multiwalled carbon nanotube) nanocomposite material with Poly-L-Lysine functionalization which can be used for detection of biomolecules with enhanced sensitivity. The reduced GO sheets are found to play a major role as a connector and helps in the assembly of bundles of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) which may sometime play a role of upstanding nanostructures. The overall composite structure is further fully functionalized resulting in an overall high density of amino groups that can be used to capture biomolecules. The sensitivity of the as synthesized film is tested by the oxidation of cholesterol through cholesterol oxidase enzyme that is biochemically immobilized over these composite films. The test for the immobilization density of the novel films are carried out by mounting these films on sensitive thin section static micro/nano-cantilever platforms. The platforms have capability to measure cholesterol traces in blood upto an extent of 100 femto molar through deflection /bending of the cantilevers due to surface reaction. The films developed show a promise of high immobilization density which is further confirmed through fluorescence studies using FITC labeling of functionalized MWCNT-PLL and rGO-PLL films respectively.

Design and fabrication of conductive nanofibrous scaffolds for neural tissue engineering: Process modeling via response surface methodology

Peripheral nervous system in contrary to central one has the potential for regeneration, but its regrowth requires proper environmental conditions and supporting growth factors. The aim of this study is to design and fabricate a conductive polyaniline/graphene nanoparticles incorporated gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds suitable for peripheral nervous system regeneration. The scaffolds were fabricated with electrospinning and the fabrication process was designed with Design-Expert software via response surface methodology. The effect of process parameters including applied voltage (kV), syringe pump flow rate (cm³/h), and PAG concentration (wt%), on the scaffold conductivity, nanofibers diameter, and cell viability were investigated. The obtained results showed that the scaffold conductivity and cell viability are affected by polyaniline/graphene concentration while nanofiber diameter is more affected by the applied voltage and syringe pump flow rate. Optimum scaffold with maximum conductivity (0.031 ± 0.0013 S/cm) and cell compatibility and suitable diameter were electrospun according to the software introduced values for the process parameters (voltage of 13 kV, flow rate of 0.1 cm³/h, and PAG wt.% of 1.3) and its morphology, cell compatibility, and biodegradability were further investigated, which showed its potential for applying in peripheral nervous system injury regeneration.

Co3O4 nanoparticles at sublethal concentrations inhibit cell growth by impairing mitochondrial function

Co₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) are one kind of the important nanomaterials that have the application potential in catalyst, electrochromic devices, sensors, etc. However, their biological effect remains to be detailed. In this study, we investigated the effect of the as-synthesized Co₃O₄ NPs (15-30 nm) on the growth of mammalian cells, and found that the NPs severely inhibited cell growth at the sublethal concentrations from 12.5 to 200 mg/L. Interestingly, the NPs did not cause obvious cell death and ROS accumulation, indicating that their inhibitory effect was not attributed to both apoptosis- or necrosis-related cell death and ROS accumulation. Transcription profiling analysis revealed that the NPs caused remarkable down regulation of the genes involved in mitochondrial functions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and biochemical analysis further showed that the NPs might interact with the mitochondria, impairing the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and ATP production. This study uncovers a mitochondrial respiratory chain-related and ROS-independent toxicity mechanism of Co₃O₄ NPs in eukaryotic cells.

Graphene oxide severely inhibits DNase activity

Graphene oxide (GO) is an important type of 2D nanomaterial and widely used in biomedicine, sensors, photocatalysis and electronic materials. With the extensive exposure of GO, its biological effect is debatable. In this study, we found a novel biological effect of GO, ie, suppression of deoxyribonuclease (DNase). GO inhibited DNA degradation when DNA or the DNA/RNA mixture was exposed to DNase. Moreover, GO suppressed nuclear fragmentation when the nuclei were treated with DNase. Interestingly, GO neither interacted with DNA nor influenced the interaction between DNase and DNA. Further investigation revealed that GO had a strong activity of adsorbing l-phenylalanine and l-histidine, key amino acid residues in the active site of DNase. These results suggest that GO could suppress the activity of DNase by interaction with the active site of DNase, and have an impact on DNase-related cellular processes (eg, apoptosis), implying its potential application in treating diseases associated with disorderly DNase function.