Studies of the interaction of graphene oxide (GO) with endothelial cells under static and flow conditions

Abstract

Graphene oxide, due to its unique properties, has several potential applications in biomedicine, especially as a drug carrier. Despite emerging studies on its cytotoxicity and uptake into cells, there are still gaps in knowledge on this area. When analyzing the internalization of nanomaterials, many different factors must be considered, including particle size, surface modifications, and interactions with biological fluids that can change their properties. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of graphene oxide fractions in different sizes and samples incubated in human serum on endothelial cells (HUVECs). In addition, the study was conducted in both macroscale and microscale using Cell-on-a-Chip technology to better replicate in vivo conditions. Our findings indicate that samples incubated with serum reduce the efficiency of fraction uptake into cells. It was also observed that the uptake efficiency of graphene oxide (GO) fractions is higher in the microscale (in more real to in vivo environment) compared to the macroscale. Our research has shown that in order to determine the correct interaction of new materials into mammalian cells, it is necessary to take into account many different biochemical and physical factors.