• 文献标题:   Investigating oxidation state-induced toxicity of PEGylated graphene oxide in ocular tissue using gene expression profiles
  • 文献类型:   Article
  • 作  者:   WU W, YAN L, CHEN SY, LI QY, GU ZJ, XU HW, YIN ZQ
  • 作者关键词:   cytotoxicity, graphene oxide, physicochemical propertie, gene expression profile, oxidative stres
  • 出版物名称:   NANOTOXICOLOGY
  • ISSN:   1743-5390 EI 1743-5404
  • 通讯作者地址:   Army Med Univ
  • 被引频次:   4
  • DOI:   10.1080/17435390.2018.1480813
  • 出版年:   2018

▎ 摘  要

Graphene and its derivatives are widely used for a variety of industrial, biomedical, and environmental applications. However, the potential harm caused by exposure of the eyes to graphene-based nanomaterials is scarce. Given the potential for these materials to be used in multiple applications, there is a pressing need to evaluate their ocular toxicity, and understand the relationships between their physico-chemical properties and the resulting toxicity. In this study, the toxicity of PEGylated graphene oxide (PEG-GO) with differing oxidation levels and/or surface charges (positive, negative and neutral charge) was evaluated using two in-vitro models of the eye: primary human corneal epithelial cells and human retinal capillary endothelial cells. The results showed that oxidation level, but not surface charge, had a pivotal effect on the toxicity of graphene-based nanomaterials. Typically, PEG-GO sample with a higher oxidation level caused more serious cytotoxicity than those with a lower oxidation level. Furthermore, by analysis of global gene expression profiles, we found that the foremost cellular response to PEG-GO sample with a high oxidation level was the oxidative stress response. Next, via exploring the underlying molecular mechanism of oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity, we showed that PEG-GO sample with a high degree of oxidation induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) via NDUFB9-mediated biological pathway. This work has significant implications for design of safe graphene-based nanomaterials for biomedical applications.