Graphene Oxide Enhanced Cisplatin Cytotoxic Effect in Glioblastoma and Cervical Cancer

Graphene oxide (GO) is an oxidized derivative of graphene. So far, GO has mostly been studied as a drug delivery method rather than a standalone drug for treating cancers like glioblastoma or cervical cancer. However, we propose a promising new approach-using GO as a sensitizer for cisplatin chemotherapy. Here, we analyze the effects of triple GO pretreatment, followed by cisplatin treatment, on cancerous cell lines U87 and HeLa, as well as the noncancerous cell line HS-5, through morphology analysis, viability assay, flow cytometry, and LDH release assay. The viability assay results showed that GO treatment made U87 and HeLa cells more responsive to cisplatin, leading to a significant reduction in cell viability to 40% and 72%, respectively, without affecting HS-5 cells viability, while the Annexin V/Propidium iodine assay showed that GO pretreatment did not cause a change in live cells in all three examined cell lines, while GO-pretreated HeLa cells treated with cisplatin showed significant decrease around two times compared to cells treated with cisplatin standalone. The U87 cell line showed a significant increase in LDH release, approximately 2.5 times higher than non-GO-pretreated cells. However, GO pretreatment did not result in LDH release in noncancerous HS-5 cells. It appears that this phenomenon underlays GO's ability to puncture the cell membrane of cancerous cells depending on its surface properties without harming noncancerous cells.

A Comprehensive Assessment of the Biocompatibility and Safety of Diamond Nanoparticles on Reconstructed Human Epidermis

Diamond nanoparticles, also known as nanodiamonds (NDs), exhibit remarkable, awe-inspiring properties that make them suitable for various applications in the field of skin care products. However, a comprehensive assessment of their compatibility with human skin, according to the irritation criteria established by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), has not yet been conducted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if diamond nanoparticles at a concentration of 25 μg/mL, incubated with reconstituted human epidermis (EpiDermTM) for 18 h, conform to the OECD TG439 standard used to classify chemical irritants. For this purpose, a cell viability test (MTT assay), histological assessment, and analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression were performed. The results indicated that NDs had no toxic effect at the tested concentration. They also did not adversely affect tissue structure and did not lead to a simultaneous increase in protein and mRNA expression of the analyzed cytokines. These results confirm the safety and biocompatibility of NDs for application in skincare products, thereby creating a wide range of possibilities to exert an impact on the advancement of contemporary cosmetology in the future.