Issue 36, 2020

Elucidating the mechanism of the surface functionalization dependent neurotoxicity of graphene family nanomaterials

Abstract

Graphene family nanomaterials (GFNs) have shown great potential for biological and environmental applications; however, their future use has been debated due to their reported potential neurotoxicity. Moreover, the effects of surface functionalization on their biological end points are largely unknown. Here, we compared the effects of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), and carboxylated (G-COOH), hydroxylated (G-OH) and aminated (G-NH2) graphene nanosheets on human neuroblastoma cells (SK-N-SH). All GFNs inhibited cellular growth at concentrations of 0.1–10 mg L−1 after 24 h exposure. The toxicity was attenuated over longer exposure times, with the exception of G-NH2. Although the overall acute toxicity followed the order: G-OH ≈ G-COOH > RGO > G-NH2, G-NH2 induced more persistent toxicity and more metabolic disturbance compared to the other GFNs, with lipid and carbohydrate metabolism being the most affected. The potential for physical disruption of the lipid membrane and oxidative damage induced by GFNs varied with different functionalization, which accounts for the observed differences in neurotoxicity. This study provides significant insights into the neurological effects of GFNs, and suggests that G-NH2 is not as safe as reported in many previous studies. The neurological effect of GFNs over longer term exposure should be considered in future studies.

Graphical abstract: Elucidating the mechanism of the surface functionalization dependent neurotoxicity of graphene family nanomaterials

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
31 May 2020
Accepted
14 Aug 2020
First published
18 Aug 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale, 2020,12, 18600-18605

Elucidating the mechanism of the surface functionalization dependent neurotoxicity of graphene family nanomaterials

Z. Guo, P. Zhang, A. J. Chetwynd, H. Q. Xie, E. Valsami-Jones, B. Zhao and I. Lynch, Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 18600 DOI: 10.1039/D0NR04179C

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