title: Oxidative stress and immunotoxicity induced by graphene oxide in zebrafish.
abstract: Graphene oxide (GO) has been extensively explored as a promising nanomaterial for applications in biology because of its unique properties. Therefore, systematic investigation of GO toxicity is essential to determine its fate in the environment and potential adverse effects. In this study, acute toxicity, oxidative stress and immunotoxicity of GO were investigated in zebrafish. No obvious acute toxicity was observed when zebrafish were exposed to 1, 5, 10 or 50mg/L GO for 14 days. However, a number of cellular alterations were detected by histological analysis of the liver and intestine, including vacuolation, loose arrangement of cells, histolysis and disintegration of cell boundaries. As evidence for oxidative stress, malondialdehyde levels and superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were increased and glutathione content was decreased in the liver after treatment with GO. GO treatment induced an immune response in zebrafish, as demonstrated by increased expression of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-1 β, and interleukin-6 in the spleen. Our findings demonstrated that GO administration in an aquatic system can cause oxidative stress and immune toxicity in adult zebrafish. To our knowledge, this is the first report of immune toxicity of GO in zebrafish.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, PR China.
authors.forename: Minjie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, PR China.
authors.forename: Junfa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, PR China; Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, PR China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Shaopeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, PR China.
authors.forename: Fengbang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, PR China; Institute of Environment and Health, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, PR China. Electronic address: smsong@rcees.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Maoyong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, PR China.
authors.forename: Hailin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006108:Graphite / Q000633:toxicity*; D007422:Intestines / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010087:Oxides / Q000633:toxicity*; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D010087:Oxides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D006108:Graphite
keywords: Acute toxicity; Graphene oxide; Immunotoxicity; Oxidative stress; Zebrafish