The unique physicochemical properties of graphene and its derivatives enable their application in the diagnostics and therapy of central nervous system (CNS) diseases. However, the potential impacts of surface properties of functionalized graphene on microglia remain poorly understood. Herein, we used graphene oxides (GO), polyethylene glycol (PEG)- and polyethylenimine (PEI)-functionalized GO, which possess different surface charges, to investigate their effects on microglia by focusing on mitochondrial dynamics. The positively charged GO-PEI was found to promote mitochondrial fission as observed in BV-2 cells with mitochondria labeled by DsRed2-mito, indicating that alterations in mitochondrial dynamics depend on the surface properties of graphene. Concurrent to mitochondrial fragmentation, treatment with positively charged GO-PEI induced an increase in mitochondrial recruitment of dynamin-related protein (Drp1). Additionally, GO-PEI treatment also led to apoptotic and autophagic cell death. However, Drp1 silencing by small interfering RNA (siRNA) could effectively attenuate GO-PEI-induced apoptotic and autophagic cell death, indicating that mitochondrial fragmentation occurs upstream of GO-PEI-mediated toxicity in microglia. Overall, our study indicated that positively charged GO-PEI might cause deleterious influence on the central immune homeostasis by Drp1-dependent mitochondrial fragmentation, and provide the strategies for the rational design of graphene-based materials in neuroscience.
Keywords: Drp1; functionalized graphene; microglia; mitochondrial dynamics; neurotoxicity.