Biosafety and Antibacterial Ability of Graphene and Graphene Oxide In Vitro and In Vivo

In recent years, graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles have begun to be applied in surgical implant surface modification. However, biosafety and antibacterial ability of G and GO are still unclear. In this study, the biosafety of G and GO in vitro was evaluated by co-culture with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and biosafety in vivo was observed by implanting materials into mice muscle tissue. Biosafety results showed that 10 mu g/ml was the safety critical concentration for G and GO. When the concentration was more than 10 mu g/ml, the cytotoxicity of G and GO showed a dose-dependent manner. Antibacterial results showed that G presented the antibacterial ability with the concentration equal to and more than 100 mu g/ml; GO presented the antibacterial ability with the concentration equal to and more than 50 mu g/ml. The antibacterial effect of G and GO were in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. The GO or G concentration between 50 and 100 mu g/ml may be the better range to keep the balance of cytotoxicity and antibacterial ability. Our study reveals that G and GO have potential to be used in clinic with good biosafety and antibacterial properties in a certain concentration range.