Investigating biological effects of multidimensional carboxylated carbon-based nanomaterials on human lung A549 cells revealed via non-targeted metabolomics approach

The biological responses of multidimensional carboxylated carbon-based nanomaterials (c-CBNs), including carboxylated graphene, carbon nanotube, and fullerene, on human lung A549 cells were investigated by using metabolomics technology. The structure and components of c-CBNs were characterized, and their biological effects were evaluated through cell apoptosis and viability analysis. Additionally, the metabolomics analysis of the nanomaterial-cell interaction system was performed using the established platform combining liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) with the bioinformatics system. Results revealed that all tested c-CBNs demonstrated some biological effects in our cell model. However, significant metabolomic alterations induced by c-CBNs were also observed mainly in amino acids, organic acids, glycerophospholipids, and glycerolipids. Further, under the tested concentrations, the multiple dimensions of c-CBNs played a major role in determining the metabolic process in various interaction modes. This study provides an advanced alternative for evaluating metabolic effects of multidimensional nanomaterials through metabolomics technology considering the association between dimension and metabolic characteristics.