Zinc oxide/graphene oxide nanocomposites can efficiently inhibit cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity

A research team led by Prof. Xu‘an and Assoc Prof. LIU Yun from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), successfully demonstrated the effective, specific and safe detoxification effect and its related mechanism of zinc oxide/graphene oxide (ZnO/GO) nanocomposites against Cd-induced hepatotoxicity, with the help of 9.4T high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of HFIPS

The results were recently published in Environment International.

Epidemiologic and laboratory studies have associated environmental Cd exposure with various liver damages, including hepatic necroinflammation, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and even liver cancer. However, there is no effective and specific detoxification method for Cd poisoning in current clinical treatment. The symptomatic treatments and non-specific metal ion chelating agent currently used in clinic have limited therapeutic effects and will inevitably cause adverse side-effects.

To solve this problem, the team further synthesized ZnO/GO nanocomposites with good biocompatibility, and indicated their advanced function against Cd-elicited liver damage at the in situ level in vivo by 9.4T high field MRI. They concluded that, mechanistically, ZnO/GO nanocomposites competitively inhibited the cellular Cd uptake through releasing Zn ions, and significantly promoted Cd excretion via targeting the efflux pump of multidrug resistance associated protein1 (MRP1).

The synthesized ZnO/GO nanocomposites with excellent detoxification capacity and favorable biosafety will hold great promise for potential applications in Cd poisoning, especially for occupational exposure population who exposed to Cd in their daily work.