title: Direct imaging of single-walled carbon nanotubes in cells.
abstract: The development of single-walled carbon nanotubes for various biomedical applications is an area of great promise. However, the contradictory data on the toxic effects of single-walled carbon nanotubes highlight the need for alternative ways to study their uptake and cytotoxic effects in cells. Single-walled carbon nanotubes have been shown to be acutely toxic in a number of types of cells, but the direct observation of cellular uptake of single-walled carbon nanotubes has not been demonstrated previously due to difficulties in discriminating carbon-based nanotubes from carbon-rich cell structures. Here we use transmission electron microscopy and confocal microscopy to image the translocation of single-walled carbon nanotubes into cells in both stained and unstained human cells. The nanotubes were seen to enter the cytoplasm and localize within the cell nucleus, causing cell mortality in a dose-dependent manner.
authors.forename: Alexandra E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: Mhairi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gass
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.forename: Jeremy N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Skepper
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Midgley
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Welland
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon