Abstract
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been advocated as promising nanocarriers in the biomedical field. Their high surface area and needle-like shape make these systems especially attractive for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Biocompatibility, cell internalization, biodistribution, and pharmacokinetic profile have all been reported to be length dependent. In this study, further insights are gotten on the role that the length of CNTs plays when developing novel contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Two samples of CNTs with different length distribution have been decorated with radio-labeled iron oxide nanoparticles. Despite characterization of the prepared hybrids reveals a similar degree of loading and size of the nanoparticles for both samples, the use of short CNTs is found to enhance the MRI properties of the developed contrast agents both in vitro and in vivo compared to their long counterparts.
Highlights
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being widely investigated for a diverse array of biomedical applications.[1]
As-received multiwalled CNTs (MWNTs) were treated by steam to remove carbonaceous impurities that are present as secondary products during the CNTs’ growth, namely, amorphous carbon and graphitic particles
Hybrid materials based on CNTs with different lengths have been prepared via their decoration with radio-labeled superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION)
Summary
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being widely investigated for a diverse array of biomedical applications.[1] Their high surface area, nanoscopic dimensions with a hollow core, excellent mechanical properties, and good electrical conductivity make them appealing for diversified biological purposes These include tissue scaffolds, bone prosthetics, neural interfaces, cellular growth, stem cell differentiation, biosensors, drug delivery, and biomedical imaging.[1,2] Both drug delivery and. Positive contrast agents based on gadolinium-loaded CNTs have shown promising results up to the preclinical level.[16d,20] Several studies have reported the preparation and use of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) attached to CNTs for biomedical imaging applications.[17a] These behave as negative contrast agents, increasing the R2 and R2* relaxation rates. MWNTs allows the modulation of the pharmacological profile of the resulting contrast agents but is found to enhance the R2* magnetic properties both in vitro and in vivo compared to their long counterparts
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