Interaction between single wall carbon nanotubes and a human enteric virus.
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.
Petrinca
Anna Rita
AR
Dept. Public Health, Hygiene chair, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, Rome, Italy.
Donia
Domenica
D
Cicchetti
Rosadele
R
Valentini
Federica
F
Argentin
Gabriella
G
Carbone
Marilena
M
Pietroiusti
Antonio
A
Magrini
Andrea
A
Palleschi
Giuseppe
G
Divizia
Maurizio
M
D004560:Electricity; D030041:Hepatitis A virus; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D055672:Static Electricity; D053585:Virus Attachment
D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon