AN ASSESSMENT OF THE RESISTANCE OF ERYTHROCYTES TO HEMOLYSIS UNDER THE EFFECT OF DISPERSED SHUNGITIC NANOCARBON
Graphene and the related derivatives have exhibited high potential for nanotechnology applications, including biomedicine, wherefore shungitic carbon, which contains graphenelike nanoscale structures, is also of interest for researchers due to its unique properties. The properties of shungitic nanocarbon need to be studied thoroughly to understand how this nanomaterial circulates inside the body and in its ambient environment. Shungitic carbon should arguably be regarded as a multi-tiered structure formed by graphene-like fragments similar in properties to reduced graphene oxide. The effect of an aqueous dispersion of shungitic carbon nanoparticles on human red blood cells was studied in vitro. The osmotic resistance of human erythrocytes in the presence of shungite nanoparticles at room temperature, as well as the thermal resistance of erythrocytes were investigated. The osmotic resistance of red blood cells decreased slightly under the action of a 4.0-15 |jg/ml colloidal solution of schungite particles, but remained within the normal range. The 2.5-40 |jg/ml concentration of shungitic nanocarbon did not damage human blood cells during thermohemolysis. A comparison of the results on the osmotic and thermal resistance of red blood cells has led to the conclusion that the expression of the hemolytic activity of nanoparticles in an aqueous dispersion of shungitic carbon depends on the temperature of the medium and on concentration. In the given experiment on thermohemolysis, the adsorption of shungite carbon nanoparticles on cell membrane surface was probably insufficient to cause significant changes in the cell architectonic organization, or the oxidation state of graphene fragments was such that it did not entail a change in membrane permeability to ions.