Making carbon nanotubes biocompatible and biodegradable
Year: 2011
Type: review
Abstract: Carbon nanotubes are promising nanomaterials with great potential in the field of nanomedicine for both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Different approaches have been developed to render this material biocompatible and to modulate any ensuing toxic effects. In the context of medical use, although chemically functionalised carbon nanotubes display reduced toxicity, they are still considered with scepticism due to their perceived non-biodegradability. Recently, it has been demonstrated that functionalised carbon nanotubes can be degraded by oxidative enzymes. This finding is offering a new perspective for the development of carbon nanotubes in medicine. This article highlights recent advances that can act as paradigm-shifts towards the design of biocompatible and biodegradable functionalised carbon nanotubes and allow their translation into the clinic.
Source: Chemical Communications
DOI: 10.1039/c1cc13011k
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Immunologie, Immunopathologie et Chimie Thérapeutique, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, University of London, UCL School of Pharmacy, University of Trieste, National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1975408440