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2019
Rive Corvin, Reina Giacomo, Wagle Prerana, Treossi Emanuele, Palermo Vincenzo, Bianco Alberto, Delogu Lucia Gemma, Rieckher Matthias, Schumacher Björn
Improved Biocompatibility of Amino-Functionalized Graphene Oxide in Caenorhabditis elegans Journal Article
In: Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany), vol. 15, no. 45, pp. e1902699, 2019, ISSN: 1613-6829.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: amino-functionalized graphene oxide, Caenorhabditis elegans, graphene oxide, I2CT, innate immunity, Team-Bianco
@article{rive_improved_2019,
title = {Improved Biocompatibility of Amino-Functionalized Graphene Oxide in Caenorhabditis elegans},
author = {Corvin Rive and Giacomo Reina and Prerana Wagle and Emanuele Treossi and Vincenzo Palermo and Alberto Bianco and Lucia Gemma Delogu and Matthias Rieckher and Björn Schumacher},
doi = {10.1002/smll.201902699},
issn = {1613-6829},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
journal = {Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)},
volume = {15},
number = {45},
pages = {e1902699},
abstract = {Graphene oxide (GO) holds high promise for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in nanomedicine but reportedly displays immunotoxicity, underlining the need for developing functionalized GO with improved biocompatibility. This study describes adverse effects of GO and amino-functionalized GO (GONH2 ) during Caenorhabditis elegans development and ageing upon acute or chronic exposure. Chronic GO treatment throughout the C. elegans development causes decreased fecundity and a reduction of animal size, while acute treatment does not lead to any measurable physiological decline. However, RNA-Sequencing data reveal that acute GO exposure induces innate immune gene expression. The p38 MAP kinase, PMK-1, which is a well-established master regulator of innate immunity, protects C. elegans from chronic GO toxicity, as pmk-1 mutants show reduced tissue-functionality and facultative vivipary. In a direct comparison, GONH2 exposure does not cause detrimental effects in the wild type or in pmk-1 mutants, and the innate immune response is considerably less pronounced. This work establishes enhanced biocompatibility of amino-functionalized GO in a whole-organism, emphasizing its potential as a biomedical nanomaterial.},
keywords = {amino-functionalized graphene oxide, Caenorhabditis elegans, graphene oxide, I2CT, innate immunity, Team-Bianco},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Graphene oxide (GO) holds high promise for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in nanomedicine but reportedly displays immunotoxicity, underlining the need for developing functionalized GO with improved biocompatibility. This study describes adverse effects of GO and amino-functionalized GO (GONH2 ) during Caenorhabditis elegans development and ageing upon acute or chronic exposure. Chronic GO treatment throughout the C. elegans development causes decreased fecundity and a reduction of animal size, while acute treatment does not lead to any measurable physiological decline. However, RNA-Sequencing data reveal that acute GO exposure induces innate immune gene expression. The p38 MAP kinase, PMK-1, which is a well-established master regulator of innate immunity, protects C. elegans from chronic GO toxicity, as pmk-1 mutants show reduced tissue-functionality and facultative vivipary. In a direct comparison, GONH2 exposure does not cause detrimental effects in the wild type or in pmk-1 mutants, and the innate immune response is considerably less pronounced. This work establishes enhanced biocompatibility of amino-functionalized GO in a whole-organism, emphasizing its potential as a biomedical nanomaterial.
2018
Rodrigues Artur Filipe, Newman Leon, Jasim Dhifaf A, Vacchi Isabella A, Ménard-Moyon Cécilia, Crica Livia E, Bianco Alberto, Kostarelos Kostas, Bussy Cyrill
Immunological impact of graphene oxide sheets in the abdominal cavity is governed by surface reactivity Journal Article
In: Archives of Toxicology, vol. 92, no. 11, pp. 3359–3379, 2018, ISSN: 1432-0738.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: 2D Materials, Animals, carbon, Epithelium, Female, graphene oxide, Graphite, I2CT, In vivo, Inbred C57BL, inflammation, Intraperitoneal, Macrophages, Mesothelium, Mice, Nanotubes, Peritoneal, Peritoneal Cavity, Protein coating, Team-Bianco, Tissue Distribution, Toxicity
@article{rodrigues_immunological_2018,
title = {Immunological impact of graphene oxide sheets in the abdominal cavity is governed by surface reactivity},
author = {Artur Filipe Rodrigues and Leon Newman and Dhifaf A Jasim and Isabella A Vacchi and Cécilia Ménard-Moyon and Livia E Crica and Alberto Bianco and Kostas Kostarelos and Cyrill Bussy},
doi = {10.1007/s00204-018-2303-z},
issn = {1432-0738},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
journal = {Archives of Toxicology},
volume = {92},
number = {11},
pages = {3359--3379},
abstract = {Graphene oxide (GO) is an oxidised form of graphene that has attracted commercial interest in multiple applications, including inks, printed electronics and spray coatings, which all raise health concerns due to potential creation of inhalable aerosols. Although a number of studies have discussed the toxicity of GO sheets, the in vivo impact of their lateral dimensions is still not clear. Here, we compared the effects of large GO sheets (l-GO, 1-20 µm) with those of small GO sheets (s-GO, textbackslashtextless 1 µm) in terms of mesothelial damage and peritoneal inflammation, after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection in mice. To benchmark the outcomes, long and rigid multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) that were shown to be associated with asbestos-like pathogenicity on the mesothelium were also tested. Our aim was to assess whether lateral dimensions can be a predictor of inflammogenicity for GO sheets in a similar fashion as length is for MWCNTs. While long MWCNTs dispersed in 0.5% BSA induced a granulomatous response on the diaphragmatic mesothelium and immune cell recruitment to the peritoneal cavity, GO sheets dispersed under similar conditions did not cause any response, regardless of their lateral dimensions. We further interrogated whether tuning the surface reactivity of GO by testing different dispersions (5% dextrose instead of 0.5% BSA) may change the biological outcome. Although the change of dispersion did not alter the impact of GO on the mesothelium (i.e. no granuloma), we observed that, when dispersed in protein-free 5% dextrose solution, s-GO elicited a greater recruitment of monocytic cells to the peritoneal cavity than l-GO, or when dispersed in protein-containing solution. Such recruitment coincided with the greater ability of s-GO to interact in vivo with peritoneal macrophages and was associated with a greater surface reactivity in comparison to l-GO. In conclusion, large dimension was not a determining factor of the immunological impact of GO sheets after i.p. administration. For an equal dose, GO sheets with lateral dimensions similar to the length of long MWCNTs were less pathogenic than the MWCNTs. On the other hand, surface reactivity and the ability of some smaller GO sheets to interact more readily with immune cells seem to be key parameters that can be tuned to improve the safety profile of GO. In particular, the choice of dispersion modality, which affected these two parameters, was found to be of crucial importance in the assessment of GO impact in this model. Overall, these findings are essential for a better understanding of the parameters governing GO toxicity and inflammation, and the rational design of safe GO-based formulations for various applications, including biomedicine.},
keywords = {2D Materials, Animals, carbon, Epithelium, Female, graphene oxide, Graphite, I2CT, In vivo, Inbred C57BL, inflammation, Intraperitoneal, Macrophages, Mesothelium, Mice, Nanotubes, Peritoneal, Peritoneal Cavity, Protein coating, Team-Bianco, Tissue Distribution, Toxicity},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Graphene oxide (GO) is an oxidised form of graphene that has attracted commercial interest in multiple applications, including inks, printed electronics and spray coatings, which all raise health concerns due to potential creation of inhalable aerosols. Although a number of studies have discussed the toxicity of GO sheets, the in vivo impact of their lateral dimensions is still not clear. Here, we compared the effects of large GO sheets (l-GO, 1-20 µm) with those of small GO sheets (s-GO, textbackslashtextless 1 µm) in terms of mesothelial damage and peritoneal inflammation, after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection in mice. To benchmark the outcomes, long and rigid multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) that were shown to be associated with asbestos-like pathogenicity on the mesothelium were also tested. Our aim was to assess whether lateral dimensions can be a predictor of inflammogenicity for GO sheets in a similar fashion as length is for MWCNTs. While long MWCNTs dispersed in 0.5% BSA induced a granulomatous response on the diaphragmatic mesothelium and immune cell recruitment to the peritoneal cavity, GO sheets dispersed under similar conditions did not cause any response, regardless of their lateral dimensions. We further interrogated whether tuning the surface reactivity of GO by testing different dispersions (5% dextrose instead of 0.5% BSA) may change the biological outcome. Although the change of dispersion did not alter the impact of GO on the mesothelium (i.e. no granuloma), we observed that, when dispersed in protein-free 5% dextrose solution, s-GO elicited a greater recruitment of monocytic cells to the peritoneal cavity than l-GO, or when dispersed in protein-containing solution. Such recruitment coincided with the greater ability of s-GO to interact in vivo with peritoneal macrophages and was associated with a greater surface reactivity in comparison to l-GO. In conclusion, large dimension was not a determining factor of the immunological impact of GO sheets after i.p. administration. For an equal dose, GO sheets with lateral dimensions similar to the length of long MWCNTs were less pathogenic than the MWCNTs. On the other hand, surface reactivity and the ability of some smaller GO sheets to interact more readily with immune cells seem to be key parameters that can be tuned to improve the safety profile of GO. In particular, the choice of dispersion modality, which affected these two parameters, was found to be of crucial importance in the assessment of GO impact in this model. Overall, these findings are essential for a better understanding of the parameters governing GO toxicity and inflammation, and the rational design of safe GO-based formulations for various applications, including biomedicine.
