Letter abstract
Nature Nanotechnology 2, 108 - 113 (2006)
Published online: 28 January 2007 | doi:10.1038/nnano.2006.209
Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Nanobiotechnology | Nanomedicine
Cellular uptake of functionalized carbon nanotubes is independent of functional group and cell type
Kostas Kostarelos1, Lara Lacerda1, Giorgia Pastorin3, Wei Wu3, Sébastien Wieckowski3, Jacqueline Luangsivilay3, Sylvie Godefroy3, Davide Pantarotto2,3, Jean-Paul Briand3, Sylviane Muller3, Maurizio Prato3 & Alberto Bianco2
Abstract
The development of nanomaterials for biomedical and biotechnological applications is an area of research that holds great promise and intense interest1, and carbon-based nanostructures in particular, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), are attracting an increasing level of attention2, 3. One of the key advantages that CNTs offer is the possibility of effectively crossing biological barriers, which would allow their use in the delivery of therapeutically active molecules. Our laboratories have been investigating the use of CNTs in biomedical applications, and in particular as nanovectors for therapeutic agent delivery4, 5, 6, 7, 8. The interaction between cells and CNTs is a critical issue that will determine any future biological application of such structures. Here we show that various types of functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) exhibit a capacity to be taken up by a wide range of cells and can intracellularly traffic through different cellular barriers.
- Nanomedicine Laboratory, Centre for Drug Delivery Research, The School of Pharmacy, University of London, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom
- CNRS, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Laboratoire d'Immunologie et Chimie Thérapeutiques, 67000 Strasbourg, France
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università di Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
Correspondence to: Kostas Kostarelos1 e-mail: kostas.kostarelos@pharmacy.ac.uk
Correspondence to: Alberto Bianco2 e-mail: a.bianco@ibmc.u-strasbg.fr
Correspondence to: Maurizio Prato3 e-mail: prato@univ.trieste.it
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