Interactions of Carbon Nanotubes Stabilized by Selected Gemini Surfactants with Model Biomembranes

Abstract

Thanks to the extraordinary mechanical strength and high electrical conductivity multiwalled carbon nanotubes are currently used in electronics, medicine (as biomedical sensors, transporters or drugs) as well as in the production of lightweight and durable construction. The aim of this study was to determine the possibility to use different cationic gemini surfactants with different spacer lengths or alkyl chain lengths in more efficient systems for dispersing nanostructures in aqueous solutions. The most important advantages of these systems are their non-immunogenic, biocompatible properties and generally low toxicity . Therefore nanotubes, surrounded by surfactants, have the potential to interact with biological membranes. For this purpose we studied the influence of dispersed CN solution on the phase behavior of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) - a phospholipid most often present in membranes of nerve cells. The microstructure of the stable suspension of carbon nanotubes was investigated using high-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to analyze the influence of surfactants studied, used for CN dispersion, on the phase behavior of DMPC bilayers. A series of measurements of toxicity of these systems were performed in HeLa and fibroblast cell cultures. This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, within the project “Najlepsi z najlepszych!” dec. DIR.5210.352016/1.