Mechanisms of surface groups regulating developmental toxicity of graphene-based nanomaterials via glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway

Abstract

Surface modification of graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) may occur in aquatic environment and during intentional preparation. However, the influence of the surface groups on the developmental toxicity of GBNs has not been determined. In this study, we evaluated the developmental toxicity of three GBNs including GO (graphene oxide), RGO (reduced GO) and RGO-N (aminated RGO) by employing zebrafish embryos at environmentally relevant concentrations (1–100 μg/L), and the underlying metabolic mechanisms were explored. The results showed that both GO and RGO-N disturbed the development of zebrafish embryos, and the adverse effect of GO was greater than that of RGO-N. Furthermore, the oxygen-containing groups of GBNs play a more important role in inducing developmental toxicity compared to size, defects and nitrogen-containing groups. Specifically, the epoxide and hydroxyl groups of GBNs increased their intrinsic oxidative potential, promoted the generation of ROS, and caused lipid peroxidation. Moreover, a significant decrease in guanosine and abnormal metabolism of multiple glycerophospholipids were observed in all three GBN-treated groups. Nevertheless, GO exposure triggered more metabolic activities related to lipid peroxidation than RGO or RGO-N exposure, and the disturbance intensity of the same metabolite was greater than that of the other two agents. These findings reveal underlying metabolic mechanisms of GBN-induced developmental toxicity.