Abstract
Introduction of exogenous DNA into mammalian cells represents a powerful approach for manipulating signal transduction. However, the currently available techniques have serious limits in terms of either low transduction efficiency or low cell viability. It is found that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can mediate molecule transportations via various mechanisms. We have reported a highly efficient molecular delivery technique, called nanotube spearing, based on the penetration of Ni-particle-embedded nanotubes into cell membranes by magnetic field driving. DNA was immobilized onto the nanotubes and subsequently speared into targeted cells. We have achieved a high transduction efficiency in Bal 17 B-lymphoma cell line, ex vivo B cells, and primary neurons with high viability. This technique may provide a powerful tool for highly efficient gene transfer in a variety of cells, especially, in the hard-to-transfect cells. However, CNTs have been associated with environmental and public health concerns which arose in the course of research on possible biomedical applications. The disturbances CNTs cause in the immune system have been met with particular interest because any ideal in vivo application of CNTs should not trigger any undesirable bodily responses. It is imperative to unravel the effects of CNTs on B cells, which represent the humoral component of acquired immunity, so that the potential risk of CNTs to public health can be thoroughly understood and advanced strategies can be employed to develop safe applications. We investigated the compatibility of the PECVD nanotubes and the nanospearing procedure in terms of cell viability, growth, and intracellular signal pathways by means of flow cytometry and biochemical analysis. No additional cell death was observed after the spearing treatment, nor had B cell activation been indicated by changes in cell size, growth, CD69 expression, and kinase phosphorylation. The post-spearing cells preserve the ability to respond to stimulation in as robust a manner as cells left untreated. Our study suggests the biocompatibility of the nanospearing procedure and PECVD nanotubes under the proposed spearing conditions with regard to the humoral component of the immune system, therefore, reducing concerns that surround in vivo applications of CNTs.
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Cai, D., Kempa, K., Ren, Z., Carnahan, D., Chiles, T.C. (2008). Nanospearing – Biomolecule Delivery and Its Biocompatibility. In: Giersig, M., Khomutov, G.B. (eds) Nanomaterials for Application in Medicine and Biology. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6829-4_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6829-4_7
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