While graphene oxide (GO) has been found to be the most toxic graphene-based nanomaterial, its environmental fate is still unexplored. In this study, the aggregation kinetics and stability of GO were investigated using time-resolved dynamic light scattering over a wide range of aquatic chemistries (pH, salt types (NaCl, MgCl2, CaCl2), ionic strength) relevant to natural and engineered systems. Although pH did not have a notable influence on GO stability from pH 4 to 10, salt type and ionic strength had significant effects on GO stability due to electrical double layer compression, similar to other colloidal particles. The critical coagulation concentration (CCC) values of GO were determined to be 44 mM NaCl, 0.9 mM CaCl2, and 1.3 mM MgCl2. Aggregation and stability of GO in the aquatic environment followed colloidal theory (DLVO and Schulze-Hardy rule), even though GO's shape is not spherical. CCC values of GO were lower than reported fullerene CCC values and higher than reported carbon nanotube CCC values. CaCl2 destabilized GO more aggressively than MgCl2 and NaCl due to the binding capacity of Ca(2+) ions with hydroxyl and carbonyl functional groups of GO. Natural organic matter significantly improved the stability of GO in water primarily due to steric repulsion. Long-term stability studies demonstrated that GO was highly stable in both natural and synthetic surface waters, although it settled quickly in synthetic groundwater. While GO remained stable in synthetic influent wastewater, effluent wastewater collected from a treatment plant rapidly destabilized GO, indicating GO will settle out during the wastewater treatment process and likely accumulate in biosolids and sludge. Overall, our findings indicate that GO nanomaterials will be stable in the natural aquatic environment and that significant aqueous transport of GO is possible.

To facilitate the proposed use of graphene and its derivative graphene oxide (GO) in widespread applications, we explored strategies that improve the biocompatibility of graphene nanomaterials in the lung. In particular, solutions of aggregated graphene, Pluronic dispersed graphene, and GO were administered directly into the lungs of mice. The introduction of GO resulted in severe and persistent lung injury. Furthermore, in cells, GO increased the rate of mitochondrial respiration and the generation of reactive oxygen species, activating inflammatory and apoptotic pathways. In contrast, this toxicity was significantly reduced in the case of pristine graphene after liquid phase exfoliation, and was further minimized when the unoxidized graphene was well-dispersed with the block copolymer Pluronic. Our results demonstrate that the covalent oxidation of graphene is a major contributor to its pulmonary toxicity and suggest that dispersion of pristine graphene in Pluronic provides a pathway for the safe handling and potential biomedical application of two-dimensional carbon nanomaterials.

We compared the use of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and Pluronic F108 (PF108) as dispersants for multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in terms of tube stability as well as pro-fibrogenic effects in vitro and in vivo. While BSA-dispersed tubes were a potent inducer of pulmonary fibrosis, PF108 coating protected the tubes from damaging the lysosomal membrane and initiating a sequence of cooperative cellular events that play a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Our results suggest that PF108 coating could be served as a safer design approach for MWCNTs.

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Engineered carbonaceous nanomaterials (ECNs), including single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), graphene and graphene oxide (GO), are potentially hazardous to the lung. With incremental experience in the use of predictive toxicological approaches, seeking to relate ECN physicochemical properties to adverse outcome pathways (AOPs), it is logical to explore the existence of a common AOP that allows comparative analysis of broad ECN categories. We established an ECN library comprised of three different types of SWCNTs, graphene and graphene oxide (two sizes) for comparative analysis according to a cell-based AOP that also plays a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. SWCNTs synthesized by Hipco, arc discharge and Co-Mo catalyst (CoMoCAT®) methods were obtained in their as-prepared (AP) state, following which they were further purified (PD) or coated with Pluronic (PF108) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) to improve dispersal and colloidal stability. Graphene oxide (GO) was prepared as two sizes, GO-small (S) and GO-large (L), while the graphene samples were coated with BSA and PF108 to enable dispersion in aqueous solution. In vitro screening showed that AP- and PD-SWCNTs, irrespective of the method of synthesis, as well as graphene (BSA) and GO (S and L) could trigger interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and transforming growth factor (TGF-β1) production in myeloid (THP-1) and epithelial (BEAS-2B) cell lines, respectively. Oropharyngeal aspiration in mice confirmed that AP-Hipco tubes, graphene (BSA), GO-S and GO-L could induce IL-1β and TGF-β1 production in the lung in parallel with lung fibrosis. Notably, GO-L was the most pro-fibrogenic material based on rapid kinetics of pulmonary injury. In contrast, PF108-dispersed SWCNTs and -graphene failed to exert fibrogenic effects. Collectively, these data indicate that the dispersal state and surface reactivity of ECNs play key roles in triggering a pro-fibrogenic AOP, which could prove helpful for hazard ranking and a proposed tiered testing approach for large ECN categories.