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. 2016 Nov 17;13(11):1149.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph13111149.

Sub-Acute Toxicity Study of Graphene Oxide in the Sprague-Dawley Rat

Yingbo Li  1 , Yan Wang  2 , Liu Tu  3 , Di Chen  4 , Zhi Luo  5 , Dengyuan Liu  6 , Zhuang Miao  7 , Gang Feng  8 , Li Qing  9 , Shali Wang  10
Affiliations

Sub-Acute Toxicity Study of Graphene Oxide in the Sprague-Dawley Rat

Yingbo Li et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) is an oxidized derivative of graphene used in biotechnology and medicine. The safety of GO is uncertain, so we evaluated its toxicity in male rats. Rat tail veins were injected with 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg GO for seven days and behavioral patterns, pathology, and tissue morphology were assessed. Data show that behaviors were not altered according to an open field test and a functional observational battery test, but histopathological analysis indicated that GO caused inflammation of the lung, liver, and spleen. GO also reduced cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), and low density lipoprotein (LDL). No other organs were modified. Thus, high concentrations of GO are toxic for the lung, liver, and spleen, but the mechanism by which this occurs requires more study.

Keywords: carbon nano-material; graphene oxide; sub-acute toxicology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Characterization of graphene oxide (GO). (A) Transmission electron microscope (TEM) shows GOs 100–500 nm; (B) ultraviolet (UV) scanning shows GO absorption peak at 231 nm; (C) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR analysis suggests obvious characteristic peaks: 3414 cm−1, 1630 cm−1, 1040 cm−1, and 1577 cm−1.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Body weight and food consumption. (A) Food consumption (g/animal/day) was observed for all GO doses. No differences were noted; (B) Rat weight was measured daily and these did not differ among groups. n = 5 rats, Mean ± SD.
Figure 3
Figure 3
GO can induce an inflammatory response in lungs, liver, spleen. Rats treated with (2.5, 5, 10 mg/kg) did not undergo changes to the cerebral cortex, heart, kidney, and lymph glands, and there was no GO deposition in these organs. Only the highest dose of GO injured the liver, lungs, and spleen which were hyperemic and inflamed after seven days. Some GO aggregated in the lungs and liver. Black arrows indicate GO deposition.
Figure 4
Figure 4
GO induces LDH in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). LDH was greater after GO (10 mg/kg) treatment compared to controls but lower doses of GO were not different than controls. * p < 0.05 compared with groups, n = 5.
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