Muscle cytotoxicity and immuno-reactivity analysis of the porous carbon nanospheres fabricated by high temperature calcination

Carbon-based nanomaterials have a high specific surface area, biocompatibility, and controlled mesopore structures. These characteristics make carbon nanospheres excellent carriers for drugs, biological dyes, photosensitizers, etc. Nevertheless, little is known about the impact of topological features on the surface of carbon nanomaterials on their in vivo immunoreactivity. In this study, we fabricated mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (MCNs) and solvent-processable carbon vesicles (CVs) by high-temperature calcination. The hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining suggested CVs' relatively poor dispersion capacity compared to MCNs and carbon precursors (CPs), leading to more severe muscle inflammation and necrosis. Immunostaining and Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) analysis further showed that both MCNs and CVs triggered a transient immune response in transplanted muscle and muscle-draining lymph nodes, but did not alter muscle resistance to exogenous viruses. In conclusion, this study provides insights into how carbon nanoparticles modulate the activation of immune responses in vivo.