Yitong Bai

Influence of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide on the activity and conformation of lysozyme

The dramatically different bio-effects of graphene and graphene oxide (GO) have been widely observed in diverse biological systems, which determine the applications and toxicity of graphene materials. To elucidate the mechanism at molecular level, it is urgent to investigate the enzyme-graphene interaction and its consequences. In this study, we comparatively studied the influence of GO and reduced GO (RGO) on the activity and conformation of lysozyme to provide better understandings of their different bio-effects. Both GO and RGO adsorbed large quantities of lysozyme after incubation. GO inhibited lysozyme activity seriously, while RGO nearly had no influence on the enzyme activity. The different inhibitions of enzyme activity could be explained by the lysozyme conformational changes, where GO induced more changes to the protein conformation according to UV-vis absorbance, far-UV circular dichroism spectra, intrinsic fluorescence quenching, and infrared spectra. Based on the spectroscopic changes of lysozyme, GO induced the loss of secondary structure and exposed the active site of lysozyme more to the aqueous environment. In addition, neither GO nor RGO induced the fibrillation of lysozyme after 12d incubation. The results collectively indicated that the oxidation degree significantly impacted the enzyme-graphene interaction. The implications to the designs of enzyme-graphene system for bio-related applications and the toxicological effects of graphene materials are discussed.

Surface modification-mediated biodistribution of 13C-fullerene C60 in vivo

BackgroundFunctionalization is believed to have a considerable impact on the biodistribution of fullerene in vivo. However, a direct comparison of differently functionalized fullerenes is required to prove the hypothesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of surface modification on the biodistribution of fullerene following its exposure via several routs of administration.Methods13C skeleton-labeled fullerene C60 (13C-C60) was functionalized with carboxyl groups (13C-C60-COOH) or hydroxyl groups (13C-C60-OH). Male ICR mice (~25 g) were exposed to a single dose of 400 μg of 13C-C60-COOH or 13C-C60-OH in 200 μL of aqueous 0.9% NaCl solution by three different exposure pathways, including tail vein injection, gavage and intraperitoneal exposure. Tissue samples, including blood, heart, liver, spleen, stomach, kidneys, lungs, brain, large intestine, small intestine, muscle, bone and skin were subsequently collected, dissected, homogenized, lyophilized, and analyzed by isotope ratio mass spectrometry.ResultsThe liver, bone, muscle and skin were found to be the major target organs for C60-COOH and C60-OH after their intravenous injection, whereas unmodified C60 was mainly found in the liver, spleen and lung. The total uptakes in liver and spleen followed the order: C60 > > C60-COOH > C60-OH. The distribution rate over 24 h followed the order: C60 > C60-OH > C60-COOH. C60-COOH and C60-OH were both cleared from the body at 7 d post exposure. C60-COOH was absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract following gavage exposure and distributed into the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, lungs, intestine and bone tissues. The translocation of C60-OH was more widespread than that of C60-COOH after intraperitoneal injection.ConclusionsThe surface modification of fullerene C60 led to a decreased in its accumulation level and distribution rate, as well as altering its target organs. These results therefore demonstrate that the chemical functionalization of fullerene had a significant impact on its translocation and biodistribution properties. Further surface modifications could therefore be used to reduce the toxicity of C60 and improve its biocompatibility, which would be beneficial for biomedical applications.

Influence of reduced graphene oxide on the growth, structure and decomposition activity of white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Graphene materials have attracted great interest nowadays due to their large-scale production and wide applications. It is urgent to evaluate the ecological and environmental risk of graphene materials for the healthy development of the graphene industry. Herein, we evaluated the influence of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) on the growth, structure and decomposition activity of white-rot fungus, whose decomposition function is vital for carbon cycle. RGO slightly stimulated the fresh weight and dry weight gains of Phanerochaete chrysosporium. A larger number of fibrous structures were observed at low RGO concentrations in P. chrysosporium, which was consistent with the elongation of cells observed under a transmission electron microscope. RGO did not affect the chemical composition of P. chrysosporium. Moreover, the laccase production of P. chrysosporium was not influenced by RGO. The degradation activities of P. chrysosporium for dye and wood appeared to be promoted slightly, but the differences were insignificant compared to the control. Therefore, RGO had low toxicity to white-rot fungus and was relatively safe for the carbon cycle.

Graphene/polyester staple composite for the removal of oils and organic solvents

Spongy graphene has been widely applied in oil removal. However, spongy graphene is hardly applicable for crude oil removal, because the complexity and high viscosity of crude oil. Herein, we reported that graphene/polyester staple composite (GPSC) could be used for the removal of oils and organic solvents, in particular crude oil. Graphene oxide was in situ reduced in the presence of polyester staple by hydrazine hydrate to form GPSC. GPSC efficiently adsorbed oils and organic solvents with high adsorption capacities. Demonstrations of treating pure oils and those in simulated sea water by GPSC were successfully performed. Due to the loose structure, GPSC adsorbed crude oil quickly with an adsorption capacity of 52 g g−1. During the regeneration, the adsorption capacity of GPSC retained around 78% of the initial capacity up to 9 cycles. The implication to the applications of GPSC in water remediation is discussed.

Toxicity of carbon nanotubes to white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are widely used in diverse areas with increasing annual production, thus the environmental impact of CNTs needs thorough investigation. In this study, we evaluated the effect of pristine multi-walled CNTs (p-MWCNTs) and oxidized multi-walled CNTs (o-MWCNTs) on white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium, which is the decomposer in carbon cycle and also has many applications in environmental remediation. Both p-MWCNTs and o-MWCNTs had no influence on the dry weight increase of P. chrysosporium and the pH value of culture system. The fibrous structure of P. chrysosporium was disturbed by p-MWCNTs seriously, while o-MWCNTs had litter influence. The ultrastructural changes were more evident for P. chrysosporium exposed to p-MWCNTs and only p-MWCNTs could penetrate into the cell plasma. The chemical composition of P. chrysosporium was nearly unchanged according to the infrared spectra. The laccase activity was suppressed by p-MWCNTs, while o-MWCNTs showed stimulating effect. The decoloration of reactive brilliant red X-3B was not affected by both CNT samples. However, serious inhibition of wood degradation was observed in the p-MWCNTs exposed groups, suggesting the potential threat of CNTs to the decomposition of carbon cycle. The implication to the environmental risks and safe applications of carbon nanomaterials is discussed.

Preparation of graphene sponge by vapor phase reduction for oil and organic solvent removal

Due to the porous structure and hydrophobicity, graphene sponge has huge adsorption capacity for oils and organic solvents. In this study, we reported that graphene sponge could be prepared by vapor phase reduction (denoted as VPRGS) for oil and organic solvent removal. Graphene oxide was lyophilized and reduced by steamy hydrazine hydrate to produce VPRGS. VPRGS had huge capacity for oils and organic solvents (72–224 g g−1). In particular, the adsorption capacity for crude oil reached 165 g g−1, suggesting that VPRGS could be applied in oil leakage remediation. VPRGS could treat pollutants both in pure liquid form and in the simulated sea water, where the hydrophobic nature of VPRGS allowed the floating of VPRGS on simulated sea water. VPRGS could be easily regenerated without obvious capacity loss up to 9 cycles. The implications to the applications of VPRGS in oil/water separation and water remediation are discussed.

Erratum to: Surface modification-mediated biodistribution of 13C-fullerene C60 in vivo

Author details Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, P. R. China. CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China. College of Chemistry and Environment Protection Engineering, Southwest University for Nationalities, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China. Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, P.R. China.