title: [Progress in the research of carbon nanotubes as drug carriers].
abstract: Research and development of new drug carriers are crucial to the research of drugs. Due to their unique hollow structure and nano-diameter, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be used as drug carriers. Functionalization of CNTs with peptides, proteins, nucleic acids or even drug molecules, the so obtained functionalized CNTs can be used as carriers to deliver bioactive molecules into cells without causing any toxicity. The research progress of CNTs as drug carriers in recent years is summarized, and the CNTs' cytotoxicity and their ability to penetrate cells are discussed, and the methods of functionalizing carbon nanotubes are also mentioned in the paper. Along with the advancement of CNTs in drug carriers system, the relationship between the way to functionalize CNTs and the so obtained modified CNTs' ability to penetrate into cells, including the effect of dimension, should be further studied. Preparation of functionalized CNTs with high solubility and low toxicity as drug carriers will be the main research areas in the near future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Functional Material and Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China.
authors.forename: Jin-gang
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Ke-long
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Qiao-qin
authors.initials: QQ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Su-qin
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jin-chun
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D015195:Drug Design; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D012995:Solubility
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004337:Drug Carriers; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon