title: Effect of size and dose on the biodistribution of graphene oxide in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Graphene oxide (GO) has promising applications in bioimaging, diagnostics and therapeutics. This work studied the effects of size and injection dose on the biodistribution of GO to accelerate the development of a GO-based drug.
  
  
  METHODS
  GO samples were intravenously injected into mice. The content of GO in organs/tissues at different time points was measured using an (125)I-labeling technique. GO in the liver and lungs was further confirmed by both Raman spectroscopic and TEM observations. The dispersion state of GO in serum was evaluated by flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regardless of size, GO was cleared from the blood quickly and accumulated mainly in the liver and lungs. The uptake of GO in lungs increased with increasing injection dose and size. The dispersion state (i.e., size of the GO-protein complex in blood) dominated the biodistribution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The size and dose of GO affected its fate in vivo. For medical applications, small-sized GO with suitable funtionalization is recommended.
authors: Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry & Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors: Jia-Hui
authors: JH
authors: Liu
authors: Sheng-Tao
authors: ST
authors: Yang
authors: Haifang
authors: H
authors: Wang
authors: Yanli
authors: Y
authors: Chang
authors: Aoneng
authors: A
authors: Cao
authors: Yuanfang
authors: Y
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006108:Graphite / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D007267:Injections; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010087:Oxides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D010316:Particle Size; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D010087:Oxides; D006108:Graphite