Cytotoxicity and variant cellular internalization behavior of water-soluble sulfonated nanographene sheets in liver cancer cells

Stuart J. Corr, Mustafa Raoof, Brandon T. Cisneros, Oleksandr Kuznetsov, Katheryn Massey, Warna D. Kaluarachchi, Matthew A. Cheney, Edward W. Billups, Lon J. Wilson, Steven A. Curley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Highly exfoliated sulfonated graphene sheets (SGSs), an alternative to graphene oxide and graphene derivatives, were synthesized, characterized, and applied to liver cancer cells in vitro. Cytotoxicity profiles were obtained using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, WST-1[2-(4-iodophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2, 4-disulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, and lactate dehydrogenase release colorimetric assays. These particles were found to be non-toxic across the concentration range of 0.1 to 10 μg/ml. Internalization of SGSs was also studied by means of optical and electron microscopy. Although not conclusive, high-resolution transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed variant internalization behaviors where some of the SGS became folded and compartmentalized into tight bundles within cellular organelles. The ability for liver cancer cells to internalize, fold, and compartmentalize graphene structures is a phenomenon not previously documented for graphene cell biology and should be further investigated.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number208
Pages (from-to)1-10
Number of pages10
JournalNanoscale Research Letters
Volume8
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013

Keywords

  • Cancer cells
  • Cytotoxicity
  • Sulfonated graphene sheets

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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