Cellular Level Biocompatibility and Biosafety of ZnO Nanowires

We report the first cellular level study on the biocompatibility and biosafety of ZnO nanowires (NWs). Hela cell line showed a complete biocompatibility to ZnO nanostructures from low to high NW concentrations beyond a couple of production periods. The L929 cell line showed a good reproduction behavior at lower NW concentration, but when the concentration was close to 100 mu g/ml, the viability dropped to similar to 50%. Our study shows the biocompetability and biosafety of ZnO NWs when they are applied in biological applications at normal concentration range.