Effect of Graphene Oxide Nanoparticles on the Differentiation of Th1/Th2/Th9 Subpopulations of T Helper Cells Under Pro-inflammatory Conditions

The study of the effect of graphene oxide (GO) on the cells of the immune system is relevant from the point of view of both fundamental immunology and the use of this material in biomedicine. According to the literature, graphene and its modifications can be toxic to cells of the immune system. However, in addition to the direct toxic effect, GO nanoparticles can disrupt the functions of various populations of immune cells, especially with long-term exposure. These effects of nanomaterials may be due to particle size, type of functionalization, and concentration. Coating GO nanoparticles with biocompatible polymers, such as polyethylene glycol, improves their biocompatibility and reduces undesirable effects on cellular functions. Since T helpers are important cells of the adaptive immune system and the differentiation of their subpopulations determines the direction and outcome of the immune response, the aim of our work was to investigate the effect of graphene oxide nanoparticles (0.1–0.2 μm) coated with linear and branched polyethylene glycol on the differentiation of T helper 1, 2 and 9 types. It was found that 7-day cultivation of naive T helpers with the studied nanoparticles at concentrations of 5 and 25 μg/ml did not affect the viability of T lymphocytes. However, in cultures with 25 μg/ml of both types of nanoparticles, the percentage of type 2 T helpers decreased and the percentage of type 9 T helpers increased. This effect did not depend on the type of polyethylene glycol with which the particles were coated. Nanoparticles at a concentration of 5 μg/ml had no statistically significant effect on T helper differentiation. Therefore, this concentration can be used for further studies on the effect of these GO nanoparticles on cell functions and metabolism.