Wrapping and dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes improves electrical conductivity of protein–nanotube composite biomaterials

Composites of extracellular matrix proteins reinforced with carbon nanotubes have the potential to be used as conductive biopolymers in a variety of biomaterial applications. In this study, the effect of functionalization and polymer wrapping on the dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in aqueous media was examined. Carboxylated MWCNT were wrapped in either Pluronic ® F127 or gelatin. Raman spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that covalent functionalization of the pristine nanotubes disrupted the carbon lattice and added carboxyl groups. Polymer and gelatin wrapping resulted in increased surface adsorbed oxygen and nitrogen, respectively. Wrapping also markedly increased the stability of MWCNT suspensions in water as measured by settling time and zeta potential, with Pluronic ® ‐wrapped nanotubes showing the greatest effect. Treated MWCNT were used to make 3D collagen–fibrin–MWCNT composite materials. Carboxylated MWCNT resulted in a decrease in construct impedance by an order of magnitude, and wrapping with Pluronic ® resulted in a further order of magnitude decrease. Functionalization and wrapping also were associated with maintenance of fibroblast function within protein–MWCNT materials. These data show that increased dispersion of nanotubes in protein–MWCNT composites leads to higher conductivity and improved cytocompatibility. Understanding how nanotubes interact with biological systems is important in enabling the development of new biomedical technologies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 101A:231–238, 2013.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94526/1/34310_ftp.pd

In vivo Imaging and Drug Storage by Quantum-Dot-Conjugated Carbon Nanotubes

A specially designed carbon nanotube (CNT) is developed for use in the early detection and treatment of cancer. The key functionalities for biomedical diagnosis and drug delivery are incorporated into the CNTs. In vivo imaging of live mice is achieved by intravenously injecting quantum dot (QD)-conjugated CNT for the first time. With near infrared emission around 752 nm, the CNT with surface-conjugated QD (CNT-QD) exhibit a strong luminescence for non-invasive optical in vivo imaging. CNT surface modification is achieved by a plasma polymerization approach that deposited ultra-thin acrylic acid or poly(lactic- co -glycolic acid) (PLGA) films (∼3 nm) onto the nanotubes. The anticancer agent paclitaxel is loaded at 112.5 ± 5.8 µg mg −1 to PLGA-coated CNT. Cytotoxicity of this novel drug delivery system is evaluated in vitro using PC-3MM2 human prostate carcinoma cells and quantified by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The in vivo distribution determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) indicates CNT-QD uptake in various organs of live animals.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60988/1/2489_ftp.pd

Emerging methods and tools for environmental risk assessment, decision-making, and policy for nanomaterials: summary of NATO Advanced Research Workshop

Nanomaterials and their associated technologies hold promising opportunities for the development of new materials and applications in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, environmental remediation, waste treatment, and energy conservation. However, current information regarding the environmental effects and health risks associated with nanomaterials is limited and sometimes contradictory. This article summarizes the conclusions of a 2008 NATO workshop designed to evaluate the wide-scale implications (e.g., benefits, risks, and costs) of the use of nanomaterials on human health and the environment. A unique feature of this workshop was its interdisciplinary nature and focus on the practical needs of policy decision makers. Workshop presentations and discussion panels were structured along four main themes: technology and benefits, human health risk, environmental risk, and policy implications. Four corresponding working groups (WGs) were formed to develop detailed summaries of the state-of-the-science in their respective areas and to discuss emerging gaps and research needs. The WGs identified gaps between the rapid advances in the types and applications of nanomaterials and the slower pace of human health and environmental risk science, along with strategies to reduce the uncertainties associated with calculating these risks

Chitosan Composites for Bone Tissue Engineering—An Overview

Bone contains considerable amounts of minerals and proteins. Hydroxyapatite [Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2] is one of the most stable forms of calcium phosphate and it occurs in bones as major component (60 to 65%), along with other materials including collagen, chondroitin sulfate, keratin sulfate and lipids. In recent years, significant progress has been made in organ transplantation, surgical reconstruction and the use of artificial protheses to treat the loss or failure of an organ or bone tissue. Chitosan has played a major role in bone tissue engineering over the last two decades, being a natural polymer obtained from chitin, which forms a major component of crustacean exoskeleton. In recent years, considerable attention has been given to chitosan composite materials and their applications in the field of bone tissue engineering due to its minimal foreign body reactions, an intrinsic antibacterial nature, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and the ability to be molded into various geometries and forms such as porous structures, suitable for cell ingrowth and osteoconduction. The composite of chitosan including hydroxyapatite is very popular because of the biodegradability and biocompatibility in nature. Recently, grafted chitosan natural polymer with carbon nanotubes has been incorporated to increase the mechanical strength of these composites. Chitosan composites are thus emerging as potential materials for artificial bone and bone regeneration in tissue engineering. Herein, the preparation, mechanical properties, chemical interactions and in vitro activity of chitosan composites for bone tissue engineering will be discussed

Water-Soluble Fullerene (C60) Derivatives as Nonviral Gene-Delivery Vectors

A new class of water-soluble C60 transfecting agents has been prepared using Hirsch-Bingel chemistry and assessed for their ability to act as gene-delivery vectors in vitro. In an effort to elucidate the relationship between the hydrophobicity of the fullerene core, the hydrophilicity of the water-solubilizing groups, and the overall charge state of the C60 vectors in gene delivery and expression, several different C60 derivatives were synthesized to yield either positively charged, negatively charged, or neutral chemical functionalities under physiological conditions. These fullerene derivatives were then tested for their ability to transfect cells grown in culture with DNA carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene. Statistically significant expression of GFP was observed for all forms of the C60 derivatives when used as DNA vectors and compared to the ability of naked DNA alone to transfect cells. However, efficient in vitro transfection was only achieved with the two positively charged C60 derivatives, namely, an octa-amino derivatized C60 and a dodeca-amino derivatized C60 vector. All C60 vectors showed an increase in toxicity in a dose-dependent manner. Increased levels of cellular toxicity were observed for positively charged C60 vectors relative to the negatively charged and neutral vectors. Structural analyses using dynamic light scattering and optical microscopy offered further insights into possible correlations between the various derivatized C60 compounds, the C60 vector/DNA complexes, their physical attributes (aggregation, charge) and their transfection efficiencies. Recently, similar Gd@C60-based compounds have demonstrated potential as advanced contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Thus, the successful demonstration of intracellular DNA uptake, intracellular transport, and gene expression from DNA using C60 vectors suggests the possibility of developing analogous Gd@C60-based vectors to serve simultaneously as both therapeutic and diagnostic agents

How should the completeness and quality of curated nanomaterial data be evaluated?

Nanotechnology is of increasing significance. Curation of nanomaterial data into electronic databases offers opportunities to better understand and predict nanomaterials' behaviour. This supports innovation in, and regulation of, nanotechnology. It is commonly understood that curated data need to be sufficiently complete and of sufficient quality to serve their intended purpose. However, assessing data completeness and quality is non-trivial in general and is arguably especially difficult in the nanoscience area, given its highly multidisciplinary nature. The current article, part of the Nanomaterial Data Curation Initiative series, addresses how to assess the completeness and quality of (curated) nanomaterial data. In order to address this key challenge, a variety of related issues are discussed: the meaning and importance of data completeness and quality, existing approaches to their assessment and the key challenges associated with evaluating the completeness and quality of curated nanomaterial data. Considerations which are specific to the nanoscience area and lessons which can be learned from other relevant scientific disciplines are considered. Hence, the scope of this discussion ranges from physicochemical characterisation requirements for nanomaterials and interference of nanomaterials with nanotoxicology assays to broader issues such as minimum information checklists, toxicology data quality schemes and computational approaches that facilitate evaluation of the completeness and quality of (curated) data. This discussion is informed by a literature review and a survey of key nanomaterial data curation stakeholders. Finally, drawing upon this discussion, recommendations are presented concerning the central question: how should the completeness and quality of curated nanomaterial data be evaluated