The unique physicochemical properties of two-dimensional (2D) graphene oxide (GO) could greatly benefit the biomedical field; however, recent research demonstrated that GO could induce in vitro and in vivo toxicity. We determined the mechanism of GO induced toxicity, and our in vitro experiments revealed that pristine GO could impair cell membrane integrity and functions including regulation of membrane- and cytoskeleton-associated genes, membrane permeability, fluidity and ion channels. Furthermore, GO induced platelet depletion, pro-inflammatory response and pathological changes of lung and liver in mice. To improve the biocompatibility of pristine GO, we prepared a series of GO derivatives including aminated GO (GO-NH2), poly(acrylamide)-functionalized GO (GO-PAM), poly(acrylic acid)-functionalized GO (GO-PAA) and poly(ethylene glycol)-functionalized GO (GO-PEG), and compared their toxicity with pristine GO in vitro and in vivo. Among these GO derivatives, GO-PEG and GO-PAA induced less toxicity than pristine GO, and GO-PAA was the most biocompatible one in vitro and in vivo. The differences in biocompatibility were due to the differential compositions of protein corona, especially immunoglobulin G (IgG), formed on their surfaces that determine their cell membrane interaction and cellular uptake, the extent of platelet depletion in blood, thrombus formation under short-term exposure and the pro-inflammatory effects under long-term exposure. Overall, our combined data delineated the key molecular mechanisms underlying the in vivo and in vitro biological behaviors and toxicity of pristine GO, and identified a safer GO derivative that could be used for future applications.

In this study we report a method for direct vapor generation of mercury species on nano TiO2 under UV irradiation in the presence of a formic acid and sodium formate mixture as a hole scavenger. A novelly designed UV/TiO2 photocatalysis reaction device (UV/TiO2 PCRD) was used as an effective sample introduction unit and an interface for mercury species determination by atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) and speciation by HPLC-AFS for the first time. The detection limits of 10, 20, 30 and 70 pg mL(-1) of mercury chloride, methylmercury chloride, ethylmercury chloride and phenylmercury chloride, respectively, were achieved by AFS using flow injection mode. Compared with the traditional KBH4/NaOH-HCl system, UV/TiO2 PCRD is a superior alternative for online vapor generation of Hg species

A novel device is designed and developed for the online reduction of selenium(VI), which is based on nano-TiO 2 photocatalysis under UV irradiation, and has been used as an interface between HPLC and VG-AFS for selenium speciation.

National Natural Science Foundation of China[21035006, 20775062]; Basic Research 973 Project[2009CB421605

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