Vol.:(0123456789)
Topics in Current Chemistry (2020) 378:15
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41061-019-0278-8
1 3
REVIEW
Carbon Nanotubes in Biomedicine
Viviana Negri
1
· Jesús Pacheco‑Torres
2
· Daniel Calle
3
·
Pilar López‑Larrubia
4
Received: 18 October 2019 / Accepted: 31 December 2019 / Published online: 14 January 2020
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract
Nowadays, biomaterials have become a crucial element in numerous biomedical,
preclinical, and clinical applications. The use of nanoparticles entails a great potential in these fields mainly because of the high ratio of surface atoms that modify
the physicochemical properties and increases the chemical reactivity. Among them,
carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as a powerful tool to improve biomedical approaches in the management of numerous diseases. CNTs have an excellent
ability to penetrate cell membranes, and the sp
2
hybridization of all carbons enables their functionalization with almost every biomolecule or compound, allowing
them to target cells and deliver drugs under the appropriate environmental stimuli.
Besides, in the new promising field of artificial biomaterial generation, nanotubes
are studied as the load in nanocomposite materials, improving their mechanical and
electrical properties, or even for direct use as scaffolds in body tissue manufacturing. Nevertheless, despite their beneficial contributions, some major concerns need
to be solved to boost the clinical development of CNTs, including poor solubility in
water, low biodegradability and dispersivity, and toxicity problems associated with
CNTs’ interaction with biomolecules in tissues and organs, including the possible
effects in the proteome and genome. This review performs a wide literature analysis
to present the main and latest advances in the optimal design and characterization
of carbon nanotubes with biomedical applications, and their capacities in different
areas of preclinical research.
Keywords Carbon nanotubes · Biomedical research · Preclinical applications ·
Cancer · Neurodegeneration · Imaging · Theranostic compounds · Tissue
engineering
* Pilar López-Larrubia
plopez@iib.uam.es
Extended author information available on the last page of the article
177
Reprinted from the journal
Chapter 6 was originally published as Negri, V., Pacheco‑Torres, J., Calle, D. & López‑Larrubia, P.
Topics in Current Chemistry (2020) 378: 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41061-019-0278-8.
Topics in Current Chemistry (2020) 378:15
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41061-019-0278-8
1 3
REVIEW
Carbon Nanotubes in Biomedicine
Viviana Negri
1
· Jesús Pacheco‑Torres
2
· Daniel Calle
3
·
Pilar López‑Larrubia
4
Received: 18 October 2019 / Accepted: 31 December 2019 / Published online: 14 January 2020
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract
Nowadays, biomaterials have become a crucial element in numerous biomedical,
preclinical, and clinical applications. The use of nanoparticles entails a great potential in these fields mainly because of the high ratio of surface atoms that modify
the physicochemical properties and increases the chemical reactivity. Among them,
carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged as a powerful tool to improve biomedical approaches in the management of numerous diseases. CNTs have an excellent
ability to penetrate cell membranes, and the sp
2
hybridization of all carbons enables their functionalization with almost every biomolecule or compound, allowing
them to target cells and deliver drugs under the appropriate environmental stimuli.
Besides, in the new promising field of artificial biomaterial generation, nanotubes
are studied as the load in nanocomposite materials, improving their mechanical and
electrical properties, or even for direct use as scaffolds in body tissue manufacturing. Nevertheless, despite their beneficial contributions, some major concerns need
to be solved to boost the clinical development of CNTs, including poor solubility in
water, low biodegradability and dispersivity, and toxicity problems associated with
CNTs’ interaction with biomolecules in tissues and organs, including the possible
effects in the proteome and genome. This review performs a wide literature analysis
to present the main and latest advances in the optimal design and characterization
of carbon nanotubes with biomedical applications, and their capacities in different
areas of preclinical research.
Keywords Carbon nanotubes · Biomedical research · Preclinical applications ·
Cancer · Neurodegeneration · Imaging · Theranostic compounds · Tissue
engineering
* Pilar López-Larrubia
plopez@iib.uam.es
Extended author information available on the last page of the article
177
Reprinted from the journal
Chapter 6 was originally published as Negri, V., Pacheco‑Torres, J., Calle, D. & López‑Larrubia, P.
Topics in Current Chemistry (2020) 378: 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41061-019-0278-8.