Abstract
Five types of carbon nanotube (CNT) scaffolds were prepared by vacuum filtration of the dispersed single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), acid-treated SWCNTs, multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), acid-treated MWCNTs, and amylose-wrapped SWCNTs in water onto porous poly(vinylidene chloride) membranes. The influence of these scaffolds on human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells was investigated by WST-1 assay, acridine orange/ethidium bromide double staining and 1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′tetram-ethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate staining. The results indicated that the viability of HeLa cells cultured on these scaffolds decreased in the following order: amylose-wrapped SWCNTs > acid-treated MWCNTs > MWCNTs > acid-treated SWCNTs > SWCNTs. Cells cultured on SWCNTs and on acid-treated SWCNTs were found undergoing apoptosis with damaged cell membrane and condensed chromatin. The result of an immunocytochemical test showed that both “dot-like” and “dash-like” focal adhesion kinases (FAKs) mainly distributed at the periphery of cells cultured on SWCNTs, while “dot-like” FAKs distributed in the whole cell body of cells cultured on MWCNTs. We therefore hypothesize that FAK expression might play a key role in controlling cell viability for cells cultured on CNT scaffolds.
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