Carbon Nanotubes Allow for Reduced Cytotoxicity
By: Carter Jackson
Carbon nanotubes, tubes consisting of covalently bonded carbon atoms, have a broad range of potential uses. They have the potential of revolutionizing many fields with innovations such as high-strength composite materials, energy storage devices, sensors with unprecedented levels of accuracy, and many other incredible applications.1 While they have the potential to be revolutionary, there is much yet unknown about them, especially health-wise.
Carbon nanotubes are a relatively recent discovery, so there has been much concern regarding the health risks associated with their use. They are small enough to pass unchecked through the blood-brain barrier, a membrane surrounding the brain that controls what can and cannot enter from the circulatory system. Their ability to bypass this barrier means that they can evade many of the biological defenses the body uses to protect itself.
Given this permeability, there has been speculation that they could have serious health implications. Studies on the health safety of carbon nanotubes are exceedingly important because, should they be deemed unsafe for human exposure, the range of possible applications associated with carbon nanotubes would be narrowed drastically.
Two main variations of carbon nanotubes exist: single-walled carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Ge et al., in response to the health concerns surrounding CNTs, have discovered that single-walled carbon nanotubes can interact with proteins in the human body to create single-walled carbon nanotubes with a much lower cytotoxicity, or toxic potential to cells.2
This study by Ge et al. alleviated many fears regarding toxicity because it indicates that it is possible to create safer single-walled carbon nanotubes that are more viable for commercial use in the future. The researchers wished to look into the health effects surrounding carbon nanotubes since safety is of the utmost concern when developing new materials.
The circulatory system is the most likely entry point into the human body for carbon nanotubes (CNTs), so the way in which CNTs interact with blood proteins is vital in discovering health risks.2 Once the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) entered the blood stream, Ge et al. found that these blood proteins, in varying amounts of time, were absorbed onto the surface of the SWCNTs.
Once the SWCNTs are covered in blood proteins, they cannot pass unchecked in he body, the proteins acting as biological indicators. This absorption created nanotubes with significantly lower cytotoxicity, and, in turn, health risks, than previously expected. The proteins bind to the SWCNTs in differing concentrations, depending largely on complex biological factors surrounding each blood protein.
Once the proteins have been absorbed, they drastically change the way in which the single walled carbon nanotubes travel throughout the body and how they interact with cells.2
The study by Ge et al. has provided essential insight into the interactions of carbon nanotubes with the human body. The completion of this procedure has proven that carbon nanotubes can be created to assume a much lower cytotoxicity than expected, and thus, are more appropriate and realistic to consider for use in the wide range of potential carbon nanotube applications. If additional similar results are found, CNTs could eventually dominate the commercial market.
With less concern for the possible health risks of CNTs, the possible future uses can be realistically considered. The structure of CNTs allow for a high versatility and huge range of applications. Some of the possible effects are simple quality of life improvements such as slightly increased conductivity of materials or more efficient storage of gas, but some effects could completely revolutionize many fields of science.
CNTs are speculated to be able to make composites that could become widely used in society due to their high strength and conductivity. They can be used to make incredibly high-strength synthetic muscles. CNTs could finally make solar power an effective source of energy, a huge environmental breakthrough. It should be very interesting to see the effect of carbon nanotubes on society in the coming decades. It is likely that they will either spread to nearly every area of science or be restricted due to health risks; only time will tell.
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