(Nanowork News) Graphene, an innovative nanomaterial with enormous potential to solve a variety of global challenges, can be further developed without serious risks to human health, a study suggests.
Carefully controlled inhalation of a specific type of graphene, the world's thinnest, extremely strong and extremely flexible material, has no short-term adverse effects on lung or cardiovascular function, studies have shown.
The first controlled exposure clinical trials in humans were conducted using thin, ultrapure graphene oxide, a water-compatible form of the material.
The study was published in the journal natural nanotechnology (“First human controlled inhalation of thin graphene oxide nanosheets for studying acute cardiopulmonary response”).
The researchers say further research is needed to find out whether higher doses of this graphene oxide material or other forms of graphene have different effects.
The research team is also keen to determine whether long-term exposure to the material, which is thousands of times thinner than a human hair, would pose additional health risks.
Interest in graphene development has surged. The substance was first isolated by scientists at the University of Manchester in 2004 and was hailed as a 'wonder' substance. Possible applications include electronics, phone screens, clothing, paint, and water purification.
Graphene is being actively researched worldwide to support targeted treatments for cancer and other health conditions, and is also being utilized in the form of implantable devices and sensors. However, before being used for medical purposes, all nanomaterials must be tested for potential side effects.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Manchester recruited 14 volunteers to take part in the study under carefully controlled conditions of exposure and clinical monitoring.
Volunteers inhaled substances through face masks for two hours while riding bicycles in a specially designed mobile exposure chamber brought to Edinburgh by the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health.
Effects on lung function, blood pressure, blood clotting and inflammation in the blood were measured before exposure and at two-hour intervals. After a few weeks, the volunteers were asked to return to the clinic for repeated control exposures to different sizes of graphene oxide or to clean air for comparison.
There were no adverse effects on lung function, blood pressure, or most other biological parameters.
The researchers found some suggestion that inhaling the substance might affect the way blood clots form, but stressed that these effects were very small.
“Nanomaterials such as graphene hold great promise, but they need to be manufactured in a safe way before they can be used more widely in our lives,” said Dr Mark Miller, from the Center for Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Edinburgh.
“Being able to explore the safety of this unique material through volunteers is a huge step forward in our understanding of how graphene can affect the body. Through careful design, nanotechnology can be safely utilized to its fullest potential.”
Professor Kostas Kostarelos from the University of Manchester and the Catalan Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) in Barcelona said: Size distribution and surface properties – can be further developed in a way that minimizes risks to human health.
“It has taken more than 10 years to develop the knowledge to conduct this study, not only from a materials and life sciences perspective, but also in a clinical capacity to bring together the world's leading experts to conduct these controlled studies safely. in this field.”
Professor Bryan Williams, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: “The discovery that this type of graphene can be developed safely with minimal short-term side effects opens the door to new device development and treatment innovations. “You can open it,” he said. and monitoring technology.
“We look forward to seeing large-scale studies over a long period of time to better understand how safely using nanomaterials like graphene can make a leap forward in delivering life-saving drugs to patients.”