Quantification of sp2 carbon nanomaterials in biological systems: pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and ecological uptake

Abstract

AbstractThe sp2 carbon nanomaterials have fantastic properties and hold great potential in diverse areas, including electronics, energy, environment, biomedicine, and so on. The wide applications of sp2 carbon nanomaterials require the thorough investigations on their biosafety. The quantification of sp2 carbon nanomaterials is the first and crucial step in the biosafety evaluations. In this review, we summarized the quantification technologies for sp2 carbon nanomaterials and compared the advantages/disadvantages of these technologies. The pharmacokinetics, the biodistribution, and the ecological uptake of sp2 carbon nanomaterials were achieved by using the quantification technologies. Furthermore, the influence factors such as surface modification, size, shape, and exposure pathway were concerned, and the general rules in the biological behaviors of sp2 carbon nanomaterials were proposed. The implications to the biomedical applications and biosafety evaluations of sp2 carbon nanomaterials are discussed.