A transcriptomic overview of lung and liver changes one day after pulmonary exposure to graphene and graphene oxide

This study investigates transcriptomic differences in the lung and liver after pulmonary exposure to two Graphene based materials with similar physical properties, but different surface chemistry. Female C57BL/6 mouse were exposed by a single intratracheal instillation of 0, 18, 54 or 162 μg/mouse of graphene oxide (GO) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Pulmonary and hepatic transcriptional changes were compared to identify commonly and uniquely perturbed functions and pathways by GO and rGO. These changes were then related to previously analyzed endpoints. GO exposure induced more differentially expressed genes, affected more functions, and perturbed more pathways compared to rGO, both in the lung and liver. Lung tissue were collected for total RNA extraction from seven weeks old C57BL/6J female mice exposed to 0, 18, 54 and 162 µg/mouse of graphene oxide (GO) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) or or carbon black (CB) or vehicle control for 1 day, 28 days and 90 days.