title: Biodistribution and clearance of instilled carbon nanotubes in rat lung.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Constituted only by carbon atoms, CNT are hydrophobic and hardly detectable in biological tissues. These properties make biokinetics and toxicology studies more complex.
  
  
  METHODS
  We propose here a method to investigate the biopersistence of CNT in organism, based on detection of nickel, a metal present in the MWCNT we investigated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results in rats that received MWCNT by intratracheal instillation, reveal that MWCNT can be eliminated and do not significantly cross the pulmonary barrier but are still present in lungs 6 months after a unique instillation. MWCNT structure was also showed to be chemically modified and cleaved in the lung. These results provide the first data of CNT biopersistence and clearance at 6 months after respiratory administration.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), Verneuil en Halatte, France. dan.elgrabli@ineris.fr.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Elgrabli
authors.forename: Magali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Floriani
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abella-Gallart
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meunier
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gamez
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Delalain
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rogerieux
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Boczkowski
authors.forename: Ghislaine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lacroix