title: Interaction between single wall carbon nanotubes and a human enteric virus.
abstract: Activated single wall carbon nanotubes have been used for biomedical purposes as carriers for drugs, peptides, proteins and nucleic acids. A large volume of data speaks to their suitability to act as a carrier. The ability of two differently activated SWNTs (with carboxyl groups or with carboxyl groups and polyethylenimine (PEI)) to form a complex with the hepatitis A virus was evaluated. Both types of activations permitted the formation of a virus-SWNT complex. However, their patterns were different. The carboxyl-activated nanotubes had a somewhat low adsorptive capacity that was related inversely to the concentrations of the SWNTs and viruses. Statistical analysis, using the chi(2)-test, showed no significant differences between the SWNT-PEI ratios of 1:2.5, 1:1 and 1:0.5. The addiction of PEI improved the adsorption, probably because of the electropositive charge of the molecule. Adsorption was optimal between 100 microg and 10 ng with a SWNTs-PEI weight ratio of 1:0.2 up to an inoculum of 10(5) genome equivalents of hepatitis A virus. Reducing or increasing this weight ratio reduced the adsorptive capacity of the PEI, and this adsorption activity was time and contact-dependent. Thus, SWNTs coated with PEI are able to complex with viruses, and they might be used in the future to transfect non-permissive cell lines.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Public Health, Hygiene chair, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Rita
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Petrinca
authors.forename: Domenica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Donia
authors.forename: Rosadele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cicchetti
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valentini
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Argentin
authors.forename: Marilena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carbone
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pietroiusti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magrini
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palleschi
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Divizia
mesh_terms: D004560:Electricity; D030041:Hepatitis A virus; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D055672:Static Electricity; D053585:Virus Attachment
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon