Chem
ArticleGraphene Oxide Nanosheets Stimulate Ruffling and Shedding of Mammalian Cell Plasma Membranes
The Bigger Picture
It is essential to understand the biological effects of nanomaterials to safely and effectively deploy them in living cells. Graphene oxide (GO) is a leading candidate material for use within biological systems because of its low cost, water solubility, and low toxicity. Here, we identified changes in mammalian cell behavior and the plasma membranes in the presence of GO. GO induces dramatic ruffling and shedding of plasma membranes, which correlates with the formation of uncharacteristic multilayers in these cells. These findings should encourage others to look for non-lethal cellular responses by GO or GO composites in other contexts. Once the biochemical basis of these effects is better understood, GO's ability to present multiple functional chemical handles and modulate cellular responses might be exploited for tissue engineering, stem cell differentiation, or reducing the invasiveness of cancer cells.
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