Respiratory Toxicology of Graphene-Based Nanomaterials: A Review
Chunxue Kong,
Junwen Chen,
Ping Li,
Yukang Wu,
Guowei Zhang,
Bimin Sang,
Rui Li,
Yuqin Shi,
Xiuqing Cui,
Ting Zhou
Affiliations
Chunxue Kong
Environmental Toxicology Laboratory, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Junwen Chen
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xiangyang No. 1 People’s Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang 441000, China
Ping Li
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Xiangyang No. 1 People’s Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang 441000, China
Yukang Wu
Department of Physical and Chemical Laboratory, The Affiliated Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuxi 214023, China
Guowei Zhang
Environmental Toxicology Laboratory, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Bimin Sang
Environmental Toxicology Laboratory, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Rui Li
Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Yuqin Shi
Environmental Toxicology Laboratory, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Xiuqing Cui
Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Applied Toxicology, Hubei Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan 430079, China
Ting Zhou
Environmental Toxicology Laboratory, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430065, China
Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) consist of a single or few layers of graphene sheets or modified graphene including pristine graphene, graphene nanosheets (GNS), graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), as well as graphene modified with various functional groups or chemicals (e.g., hydroxyl, carboxyl, and polyethylene glycol), which are frequently used in industrial and biomedical applications owing to their exceptional physicochemical properties. Given the widespread production and extensive application of GBNs, they can be disseminated in a wide range of environmental mediums, such as air, water, food, and soil. GBNs can enter the human body through various routes such as inhalation, ingestion, dermal penetration, injection, and implantation in biomedical applications, and the majority of GBNs tend to accumulate in the respiratory system. GBNs inhaled and substantially deposited in the human respiratory tract may impair lung defenses and clearance, resulting in the formation of granulomas and pulmonary fibrosis. However, the specific toxicity of the respiratory system caused by different GBNs, their influencing factors, and the underlying mechanisms remain relatively scarce. This review summarizes recent advances in the exposure, metabolism, toxicity and potential mechanisms, current limitations, and future perspectives of various GBNs in the respiratory system.
