Biological Interactions of Graphene-Family Nanomaterials – An Interdisciplinary Review

By Vanesa C. Sanchez, Ashish C Jachak, R. Hurt, A. Kane. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 2011

1,196 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Graphene is a single-atom thick, two-dimensional sheet of hexagonally arranged carbon atoms isolated from its three-dimensional parent material, graphite. Related materials include few-layer-graphene (FLG), ultrathin graphite, graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and graphene nanosheets (GNS). This review proposes a systematic nomenclature for this set of “Graphene-Family Nanomaterials” (GFNs) and discusses specific materials properties relevant for biomolecular and cellular interactions. The article discusses several unique modes of interaction between GFNs and nucleic acids, lipid bilayers, and conjugated small molecule drugs and dyes. Some GFNs are produced as dry powders using thermal exfoliation, and in these cases inhalation is a likely route of human exposure. Some GFNs have aerodynamic sizes that can lead to inhalation and substantial deposition in the human respiratory tract, which may impair lung defense and clearance leading to formation of granulomas and lung fibrosis. The limited literature on in vitro toxicity suggests that GFNs can be either benign or toxic to cells, and it is hypothesized that the biological response will vary across the material family depending on layer number, lateral size, stiffness, hydrophobicity, surface functionalization, and dose. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in target cells is a potential mechanism for toxicity, although the extremely high hydrophobic surface area of some GFNs may also lead to significant interactions with membrane lipids leading to direct physical toxicity or adsorption of biological molecules leading to indirect toxicity. Limited in vivo studies demonstrate systemic biodistribution and biopersistence of GFNs following intravenous delivery. Similar to other smooth, continuous, biopersistent implants or foreign bodies, GFNs have the potential to induce foreign body tumors. Long-term adverse health impacts must be considered in design of GFNs for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and fluorescence-based biomolecular sensing. Future research is needed to explore fundamental biological responses to GFNs including systematic assessment of the physical and chemical materials properties related to toxicity. Complete materials characterization and mechanistic toxicity studies are essential for safer design and manufacturing of GFNs in order to optimize biological applications with minimal risks for environmental health and safety.

Subfields: Biomaterials, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Chemistry

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/fa4a68056e6c503ddda319f6f5902e379f001199

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Citations in the corpus

Graphene-based flame retardants: a review (2016, background): “This is why graphene has become a significant candidate for a variety of purposes in material science and has drawn a lot of attention in microelectronics [16], energy [17], biological medicine [18], catalysis [19], etc.”
Graphene-based materials for tissue engineering (2016, background): “For the graphene-family nanomaterials, including graphene, graphite, GO, and rGO, biomolecules with low solubility, partial hydrophobicity, or positive charge are generally favored for adsorption [165-167].”
Graphene microsheets enter cells through spontaneous membrane penetration at edge asperities and corner sites (2013, methodology): “The urgency to develop guidelines for manufacturing safer biomedical diagnostics and therapies (6, 18), as well as regulating occupational and environmental exposure (25, 26), justifies significant efforts to clarify the mechanisms of cell membrane interaction with carbon nanomaterials and with grap”
Antimicrobial Properties of Graphene Oxide Nanosheets: Why Size Matters. (2015, background): “sheets come in direct contact with bacterial cells.(5,13) In this process, the cell membrane appears to be a primary target of the cyto-”
Carbon science in 2016: Status, challenges and perspectives (2016, background): “Based on the available results reported in the literature, some graphene materials can cause adverse biological responses [131], much work is needed to understand the behavior of the wide variety of 2D carbons of different thickness, lateral dimension, and surface chemistry.”
Interactions of graphene and graphene oxide with proteins and peptides (2013, background): “No matter which kind of interaction is the driving force, after the enzyme immobilization, the properties of solid substrate and enzyme could both be affected [122] .”