Reduced Cytotoxicity of Graphene Nanosheets Mediated by Blood-Protein Coating

Abstract

The advent and pending wide use of nanoscale materials urges a biosafety assessment and safe design of nanomaterials that demonstrate applicability to human medicine. In biological microenvironment, biomolecules will bind onto nanoparticles forming corona and endow nanoparticles new biological identity. Since blood-circulatory system will most likely be the first interaction organ exposed to these nanomaterials, a deep understanding of the basic interaction mechanisms between serum proteins and foreign nanoparticles may help to better clarify the potential risks of nanomaterials and provide guidance on safe design of nanomaterials. In this study, the adsorption of four high-abundance blood proteins onto the carbon-based nanomaterial graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO (rGO) were investigated via experimental (AFM, florescence spectroscopy, SPR) and simulation-based (molecular dynamics) approaches. Among the proteins in question, we observe competitive binding to the GO surface that features a mélange of distinct packing modes. Our MD simulations reveal that the protein adsorption is mainly enthalpically driven through strong π-π stacking interactions between GO and aromatic protein residues, in addition to hydrophobic interactions. Overall, these results were in line with previous findings related to adsorption of serum proteins onto single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), but GO exhibits a dramatic enhancement of adsorption capacity compared to this one-dimensional carbon form. Encouragingly, protein-coated GO resulted in a markedly less cytotoxicity than pristine and protein-coated SWCNTs, suggesting a useful role for this planar nanomaterial in biomedical applications.

Membrane destruction-mediated antibacterial activity of tungsten disulfide (WS2)

“…Bacteria cells were rst grown overnight in LB medium (LuriaBertani) at 37 C and harvested at the mid-exponential growth phase via centrifugation. Then they were washed three times to remove the residual growth-medium constituents and resuspended in the sterile saline solution (0.9% NaCl).…”

“…45 Briey, A549 cells and HEP G2 cells were seeded in a 96-well cell culture plates at the densities of 5 Â 10 3 cell per well, respectively, in DMEM containing 10% FBS at 37 C in a humid atmosphere of 95% air and 5% CO 2 for 24 h. Aer 24 h incubation, cells reached $80% conuence. Subsequently, the cells were incubated with WS 2 in serum-free medium, following a similar protocol used in our previous studies, 37 with WS 2 concentrations 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg mL À1 . The cells cultured in the medium without any nanomaterials were used as the control.…”

Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots Reduce Oxidative Stress and Inhibit Neurotoxicity In Vitro and In Vivo through Catalase‐Like Activity and Metabolic Regulation

“…A previous report have shown that GO adheres to the chorion of the zebrafish embryo mainly via hydroxyl group interactions and crosses the chorion of the zebrafish through independent pore canals via passive diffusion 15. At 72 hpf, the green fluorescence denoted by the red circles was distributed to the head, eyes, gills, heart, intestines, and yolk sac edema of the larvae treated with the FITC‐GOQDs, suggesting that the GOQDs were predominantly distributed to these regions (Figure 4a), especially in the heart and intestines because the blood circulatory system would most likely be the first organ to be exposed to carbon‐based nanoparticles16 and because swallowing into the intestines is also a common pathway for absorbing nanoparticles. [[qv: 5b]] However, the green fluorescence denoted by the red circles was only distributed in the yolk sac edema of the larvae treated with FITC, indicating that the GOQDs and FITC concentrated in different regions within the larvae (Figure 4a).…”

Understanding the hemotoxicity of graphene nanomaterials through their interactions with blood proteins and cells

“…[47][48][49][50][51][52][53] For example, a recent study investigated the adsorption of the four most abundant serum proteins, i.e., bovine serum albumin (BSA), transferrin (Tf), immunoglobulin (Ig), and bovine fibrinogen (BFG) on two graphene nanomaterials, i.e., GO and rGO nanosheets (Fig. 3).…”

“…3). 47 It was reported that these proteins displayed distinct adsorption behaviors on the nanosheet surfaces. BSA, for instance, formed complex aggregates upon its first interaction with GO [ Fig adsorption on the GO surface was enthalpically driven via hydrophobic interactions and essentially, strong p-p stacking interactions between the aromatic protein residues and GO surface.…”