Are diamond nanoparticles cytotoxic?
Finely divided carbon particles, including charcoal, lampblack, and diamond particles, have been used for ornamental and official tattoos since ancient times. With the recent development in nanoscience and nanotechnology, carbon-based nanomaterials (e.g., fullerenes, nanotubes, nanodiamonds) attract a great deal of interest. Owing to their low chemical reactivity and unique physical properties, nanodiamonds could be useful in a variety of biological applications such as carriers for drugs, genes, or proteins; novel imaging techniques; coatings for implantable materials; and biosensors and biomedical nanorobots. Therefore, it is essential to ascertain the possible hazards of nanodiamonds to humans and other biological systems. We have, for the first time, assessed the cytotoxicity of nanodiamonds ranging in size from 2 to 10 nm. Assays of cell viability such as mitochondrial function (MTT) and luminescent ATP production showed that nanodiamonds were not toxic to a variety of cell types. Furthermore, nanodiamonds did not produce significant reactive oxygen species. Cells can grow on nanodiamond-coated substrates without morphological changes compared to controls. These results suggest that nanodiamonds could be ideal for many biological applications in a diverse range of cell types.
Schrand
Amanda M
AM
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, Ohio 45469-0240, USA.
Huang
Houjin
H
Carlson
Cataleya
C
Schlager
John J
JJ
Omacr Sawa
Eiji
E
Hussain
Saber M
SM
Dai
Liming
L
D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D018130:Diamond / Q000737:chemistry*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D053758:Nanoparticles; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry; D010316:Particle Size; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species
D037741:Fullerenes; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D002244:Carbon; D018130:Diamond