title: Genotoxic properties of nylon-6/MWNTs nanohybrid.
abstract: We performed the micronucleus test to determine the level of biocompatibility of pristine multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and MWNTs functionalized with nylon-6, (referred to as the nylon-6/ MWNTs nanohybrid), when they interact with human lymphocytes in a cell culture medium. A comparative genotoxic analysis demonstrated a better degree of biocompatibility of nylon-6/MWNT with human lymphocytes, as compared to pristine MWNTs, for the concentration range of 10-60 microg/ml. An evidence was found that pristine MWNTs act as clastogenic agents and possibly as aneuploidogenic agents, increasing the frequency of genotoxic bioindicators. On the other hand, nylon-6/ MWNTs nanohybrid were observed to induce cell death via apoptosis, which could be attributed to residual impurities of epsilon-caprolactam.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 México DF, México.
authors.forename: Omar E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Ochoa-Olmos
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Montero-Montoya
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Serrano-García
authors.forename: Elena V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Basiuk