Letter abstract
Nature Nanotechnology 2, 713 - 717 (2007)
Published online: 28 October 2007 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2007.347
Subject Category: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes
Direct imaging of single-walled carbon nanotubes in cells
Alexandra E. Porter1, Mhairi Gass2, Karin Muller3, Jeremy N. Skepper3, Paul A. Midgley4 & Mark Welland1
Abstract
The development of single-walled carbon nanotubes for various biomedical applications is an area of great promise. However, the contradictory data on the toxic effects of single-walled carbon nanotubes1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 highlight the need for alternative ways to study their uptake and cytotoxic effects in cells. Single-walled carbon nanotubes have been shown to be acutely toxic1, 2, 3 in a number of types of cells, but the direct observation of cellular uptake of single-walled carbon nanotubes has not been demonstrated previously due to difficulties in discriminating carbon-based nanotubes from carbon-rich cell structures. Here we use transmission electron microscopy and confocal microscopy to image the translocation of single-walled carbon nanotubes into cells in both stained and unstained human cells. The nanotubes were seen to enter the cytoplasm and localize within the cell nucleus, causing cell mortality in a dose-dependent manner.
- The Nanoscience Centre, University of Cambridge, 11 J. J. Thompson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 OFF, UK
- UK SuperSTEM, Daresbury Laboratory, Daresbury, Cheshire WA4 4AD, UK
- Multiimaging Centre, Department of Anatomy, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK
Correspondence to: Alexandra E. Porter1 e-mail: aep30@cam.ac.uk
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