Degradation of Mitochondria and Oxidative Stress as the Main Mechanism of Toxicity of Pristine Graphene on U87 Glioblastoma Cells and Tumors and HS-5 Cells

Slawomir Jaworski, Barbara Strojny, Ewa Sawosz, Mateusz Wierzbicki, Marta Grodzik, Marta Kutwin, Karolina Daniluk, André Chwalibog

    21 Citations (Scopus)
    35 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Due to the development of nanotechnologies, graphene and graphene-based nanomaterials have attracted immense scientific interest owing to their extraordinary properties. Graphene can be used in many fields, including biomedicine. To date, little is known about the impact grapheme may have on human health in the case of intentional exposure. The present study was carried out on U87 glioma cells and non-cancer HS-5 cell lines as in vitro model and U87 tumors cultured on chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane as in vivo model, on which the effects of pristine graphene platelets (GPs) were evaluated. The investigation consisted of structural analysis of GPs using transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transmission infrared measurements, zeta potential measurements, evaluation of cell morphology, assessment of cell viability, investigation of reactive oxygen species production, and investigation of mitochondrial membrane potential. The toxicity of U87 glioma tumors was evaluated by calculating the weight and volume of tumors and performing analyses of the ultrastructure, histology, and protein expression. The in vitro results indicate that GPs have dose-dependent cytotoxicity via ROS overproduction and depletion of the mitochondrial membrane potential. The mass and volume of tumors were reduced in vivo after injection of GPs. Additionally, the level of apoptotic and necrotic markers increased in GPs-treated tumors.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number650
    JournalInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences (Online)
    Volume20
    Issue number650
    Number of pages18
    ISSN1661-6596
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2019

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