Burgum, MJ, Clift, MJD, Evans, SJ et al. (7 more authors) (2021) In Vitro Primary-Indirect Genotoxicity in Bronchial Epithelial Cells Promoted by Industrially Relevant Few-Layer Graphene. Small, 17 (15). 2002551. ISSN 1613-6810
Abstract
Few-layer graphene (FLG) has garnered much interest owing to applications in hydrogen storage and reinforced nanocomposites. Consequently, these engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are in high demand, increasing occupational exposure. This investigation seeks to assess the inhalation hazard of industrially relevant FLG engineered with: (i) no surface functional groups (neutral), (ii) amine, and (iii) carboxyl group functionalization. A monoculture of human lung epithelial (16HBE14o-) cells is exposed to each material for 24-h, followed by cytotoxicity and genotoxicity evaluation using relative population doubling (RPD) and the cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus (CBMN) assay, respectively. Neutral-FLG induces the greatest (two-fold) significant increase (p < 0.05) in micronuclei, whereas carboxyl-FLG does not induce significant (p < 0.05) genotoxicity. These findings correlate to significant (p < 0.05) concentration-dependent increases in interleukin (IL)-8, depletion of intracellular glutathione (rGSH) and a depletion in mitochondrial ATP production. Uptake of FLG is evaluated by transmission electron microscopy, whereby FLG particles are observed within membrane-bound vesicles in the form of large agglomerates (>1 µm diameter). The findings of the present study have demonstrated the capability of neutral-FLG and amine-FLG to induce genotoxicity in 16HBE14o- cells through primary indirect mechanisms, suggesting a possible role for carboxyl groups in scavenging radicals produced via oxidative stress.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) |
Keywords: | genotoxicity; graphene; in vitro; lung; nano |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemical & Process Engineering (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Aug 2020 10:58 |
Last Modified: | 22 Jun 2021 12:55 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/smll.202002551 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:164152 |