Journal
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS
Volume 65, Issue 15, Pages 1899-1920Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2013.07.006
Keywords
Carbon nanotubes; Functionalization; Biomedicine; Therapy; Imaging; Diagnostic
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Funding
- CNRS
- University of Trieste
- Italian Ministry of Education MIUR [cofin Prot. 2010N3T9M4, Firb RBAP11C58Y]
- ANR P2N (NANOTHER project) [2010-NANO-008-398 04]
- European Union [PEOPLE-2011-290023]
- PICS (Project for International Scientific Cooperation)
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The scope of nanotechnology is gaining importance in biology and medicine. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as a promising tool due to their unique properties, high specific surface area, and capacity to cross biological barriers. These properties offer a variety of opportunities for applications in nanomedicine, such as diagnosis, disease treatment, imaging, and tissue engineering. Nevertheless, pristine CNTs are insoluble in water and in most organic solvents; thereby functionalization of their surface is necessary to increase biocompatibility. Derivatization of CNTs also gives the possibility to conjugate different biological and bioactive molecules including drugs, proteins, and targeting ligands. This review focuses on the chemical modifications of CNTs that have been developed to impart specific properties for biological and medical purposes. Biomolecules can be covalently grafted or non-covalently adsorbed on the nanotube surface. In addition, the inner core of CNTs can be exploited to encapsulate drugs, nanoparticles, or radioactive elements. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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