Cytotoxicity of halogenated graphenes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Toxicology

Background:

• Graphene derivatives offer unique properties for diverse applications.
• Large-scale manufacturing of graphene materials necessitates understanding their safety.
• The cytotoxicity of halogenated graphenes remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cytotoxicity of halogenated graphenes for the first time.
• To assess the dose-dependent effects of chlorine-, bromine-, and iodine-doped graphene (TRGO-Cl, TRGO-Br, TRGO-I) on human lung cells.
• To determine the influence of halogen content on graphene-induced cytotoxicity.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of TRGO-Cl, TRGO-Br, and TRGO-I via thermal exfoliation.
• Exposure of human lung carcinoma epithelial cells (A549) to varying concentrations of halogenated graphenes for 24 hours.
• Cell viability assessment using MTT and WST-8 assays.
• Control experiments to rule out interference from nanomaterial-marker interactions.

Main Results:

• All tested halogenated graphenes exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity against A549 cells.
• TRGO-Cl demonstrated the highest cytotoxicity, reducing cell viability to 25.7% at 200 μg mL⁻¹.
• Cytotoxicity order was determined as TRGO-Cl > TRGO-Br > TRGO-I.
• Control experiments confirmed minimal interference between halogenated graphenes and viability assays.

Conclusions:

• Halogenated graphenes possess significant cytotoxicity towards human lung cells.
• The degree of halogenation is a key factor influencing the observed cytotoxicity.
• Further research is required to fully understand the health risks associated with halogenated graphenes.