Respiratory Toxicology of Graphene-Based Nanomaterials: A Review

Abstract

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) consist of a single or few layers of graphene sheets or modified graphene including pristine graphene, graphene nanosheets (GNS), graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), as well as graphene modified with various functional groups or chemicals (e.g., hydroxyl, carboxyl, and polyethylene glycol), which are frequently used in industrial and biomedical applications owing to their exceptional physicochemical properties. Given the widespread production and extensive application of GBNs, they can be disseminated in a wide range of environmental mediums, such as air, water, food, and soil. GBNs can enter the human body through various routes such as inhalation, ingestion, dermal penetration, injection, and implantation in biomedical applications, and the majority of GBNs tend to accumulate in the respiratory system. GBNs inhaled and substantially deposited in the human respiratory tract may impair lung defenses and clearance, resulting in the formation of granulomas and pulmonary fibrosis. However, the specific toxicity of the respiratory system caused by different GBNs, their influencing factors, and the underlying mechanisms remain relatively scarce. This review summarizes recent advances in the exposure, metabolism, toxicity and potential mechanisms, current limitations, and future perspectives of various GBNs in the respiratory system.

Structure-properties correlation of acrylic resins modified with silver vanadate and graphene

“…However, the synthesis of these materials at the nanometer scale reduces their cytotoxic potential, as low concentrations are effective as antimicrobials [ 13 , 19 , 20 ]. β-AgVO 3 exhibits high stability and controlled release of Ag and V ions, and rGO has a lower concentration of O, which reduces its toxic potential against human cells [ [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] ]. Concentrations of β-AgVO 3 between 0.5 and 5 % were not toxic to human gingival fibroblasts [ 19 , 24 ], and less than 4 μg/mL of rGO were not toxic to eukaryotic cells [ 22 , 23 , [25] , [26] , [27] ].…”