Carbon nanotube–liposome supramolecular nanotrains for intelligent molecular-transport systems

Abstract

Biological network systems, such as inter- and intra-cellular signalling systems, are handled in a sophisticated manner by the transport of molecular information. Over the past few decades, there has been a growing interest in the development of synthetic molecular-transport systems. However, several key technologies have not been sufficiently realized to achieve optimum performance of transportation methods. Here we show that a new type of supramolecular system comprising of carbon nanotubes and liposomes enables the directional transport and controlled release of carrier molecules, and allows an enzymatic reaction at a desired area. The study highlights important progress that has been made towards the development of biomimetic molecular-transport systems and various lab-on-a-chip applications, such as medical diagnosis, sensors, bionic computers and artificial biological networks.

Nanodiamond decorated liposomes as highly biocompatible delivery vehicles and a comparison with carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide

“…In previous reports, CNTs were linked to liposomes via biotin/avidin interaction or amide bonding to achieve co-delivery. 34,35 In our case, only physisorption was employed. In particular, CNT has been shown to be only weakly adsorbed compared to ND based on the urea assay.…”

“…33 There are also reports on interfacing liposomes with CNTs, where covalent attachment is often used. [34][35][36] Recently, attempts were 3 made to encapsulate ND inside liposomes. 37, 38 However, little is known about the interaction between ND and liposomes.…”

Mass spectrometry imaging reveals the sub-organ distribution of carbon nanomaterials

“…C arbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs) such as carbon nanotubes, graphene and carbon nanodots and their derivatives have promising technological applications 1,2 ranging from drug delivery 3,4 , biosensing 5 and tissue engineering 6 to photothermal therapy 7 and diagnostics 8,9 . However, these biomedical applications have led to concerns regarding nanoparticle exposure and possible health effects [10][11][12] .…”

Physicochemically functionalized carbon nanohorns for multi-dimensional cancer elimination

“…Recently, we discovered that the NIR laser-induced photothermal properties and ferromagnetic characteristics of functional CNHs enable them to efficiently target and eliminate cancer cells [13]. Nanocarbon materials can be generated such that they simultaneously exhibit multiple applications, including selective targeting [14], exothermic effects [15,16], controlled release of drugs [17,18], photodynamic therapy [19], and bioimaging [20], which are advantageous for the development of future innovative cancer treatments. However, studies of the physical and chemical functionalization of nanocarbon materials are not themselves sufficient for achieving these applications in situ.…”