Cytotoxicity of graphene oxide nanoparticles on plant growth promoting rhizobacteria

This study was aimed at investigating the toxicological effects of GO on beneficial Bacillus soil microbes. Five bacterial isolates screened from the rhizosphere of a common pulse-growing agricultural field were identified as Bacillus marisflavi, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus mycoides. To study the effect of GO under in vitro conditions, GO was prepared and characterized by various analytical techniques. Our results suggest that GO decreases cell viability in a concentration- and time-dependent manner by regulating biochemical changes and demonstrate that GO nanoparticles can negatively impact beneficial bacterial communities in the soil. (C) 2015 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.