Abstract
The development of nanomaterials for biological and biotechnological applications is an area of research that holds great promise. In particular, carbon nanotubes (CNT) are attracting an increasing level of attention since they hold unique optical and mechanical properties, have a large surface, diameters on the nanometric scale, and are capable to penetrate the membrane of mammalian cells without causing any damage while transporting small molecules as nucleic acids, peptides and proteins.1 Two different mechanisms have been independently reported to explain the internalization of CNT into cells: 1) an energy-dependent mechanism, where CNT enter the cell via endocytosis and 2) an energy-independent process, by diffusion through the membrane similar to nanoneedles. Understanding the mechanisms responsible of CNTs internalization into live cells is considered critical both from a fundamental point of view and for further engineering of CNT-based delivery systems. For this field to evolve, it is necessary to understand the biophysicochemical interactions between the CNT and the biological membrane, such as the dynamic forces and molecular components that direct the CNT translocation.
© 2014 Optical Society of America
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