Cytotoxicity and variant cellular internalization behavior of water-soluble sulfonated nanographene sheets in liver cancer cells

Abstract

Highly exfoliated sulfonated graphene sheets (SGSs), an alternative to graphene oxide and graphene derivatives, were synthesized, characterized, and applied to liver cancer cells in vitro. Cytotoxicity profiles were obtained using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, WST-1[2-(4-iodophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, and lactate dehydrogenase release colorimetric assays. These particles were found to be non-toxic across the concentration range of 0.1 to 10 μg/ml. Internalization of SGSs was also studied by means of optical and electron microscopy. Although not conclusive, high-resolution transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed variant internalization behaviors where some of the SGS became folded and compartmentalized into tight bundles within cellular organelles. The ability for liver cancer cells to internalize, fold, and compartmentalize graphene structures is a phenomenon not previously documented for graphene cell biology and should be further investigated.

Functionalized Graphene Tagged Polyurethanes for Corrosion Inhibitor and Sustained Drug Delivery

“…However, a slight decrease in cell viability is observed in nanohybrid with higher percentage graphene (PU-SN4) indicating some cytotoxic property. Corr et al studied the effect of the sulfonated graphene on Hep3B cell lines and reported drastic decrease of cell viability up to 20% at 100 μg/mL concentration and complete necrosis of cells at 72 h and considered higher insolubility of formazan in the presence of sulfonated graphene as the reason behind it . However, our studies indicate nanohybrid with 4 wt % of sulfonated graphene (i.e.…”

“…Corr et al studied the effect of the sulfonated graphene on Hep3B cell lines and reported drastic decrease of cell viability up to 20% at 100 μg/mL concentration and complete necrosis of cells at 72 h and considered higher insolubility of formazan in the presence of sulfonated graphene as the reason behind it. 36 However, our studies indicate nanohybrid with 4 wt % of sulfonated graphene (i.e. ∼331 μg/mL; three times the concentration reported earlier) but still showing the 60% cell viability after 5 days interval suggesting that grafting of the biocompatible polyurethane chains over sulfonated graphene sheet through amine moiety induced sufficient biocompatibility in nanohybrids as compared pure functionalized graphene.…”

“…Cells are more properly adhered on nanohybrids having 1–2 wt % of sulfonated graphene as well as pure polyurethane. Slight alternation in cell morphology is observed in nanohybrids­(PU-SN4) . In this context, it is suggested that 1 wt % functionalized graphene is best suited for the preparation of nanohybrid for biological application, as it shows better biocompatibility.…”

Bioconjugated graphene oxide‐based Raman probe for selective identification of SKBR3 breast cancer cells

“…Cellular uptake and metal internalization through the lipid bilayer are not yet understood well because these layers are made to actively resist any foreign element to pass through the cellular wall. However, numerous reports indicate that surface functionalization of the nanomaterials with hydrophilic or hydrophobic or mixed ligands can aid in the penetration by the one or combination of the following mechanism . (1) Nanostructures can penetrate the plasma membrane of the cell by generating transient holes.…”

Progress in the Development of Graphene-Based Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering and Regeneration

“…Hydrophobic primitive graphene aggregated on the cell membrane at high concentrations, destroying cytoskeleton arrangement and deforming cells, while hydrophilic G-COOH at low concentrations was highly internalized and did not seem to affect cell functions [ 16 ]. Curley et al [ 48 ] found that sulfonated GO was non-toxic within the concentration range of 0.1–10 mg/mL. Modifications such as carboxylation and dextran conjugate have also been shown to reduce the cytotoxicity of graphene by increasing the hydrophilicity of graphene derivatives [ 49 ].…”