title: PEG-modified carbon nanotubes in biomedicine: current status and challenges ahead.
abstract: Since their discovery at the end of the previous millennium, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been the object of thousands of papers describing their applications in fields ranging from physics to electronics, photonics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. The development of chemical approaches to modify their graphitic sidewalls enabled the generation of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-modified CNTs and their exploration in multiple biomedical applications. Studies at the cellular and organism level revealed that PEG-modified CNTs have favorable pharmacokinetic and toxicology profiles. Recently, PEG-modified CNTs have been successfully tested in preclinical studies in the fields of oncology, neurology, vaccination, and imaging, suggesting that they are well suited for the generation of novel multifunctional nanodrugs. Here we will review published data about the application of PEG-modified CNTs as in vitro and in vivo therapeutic and imaging tools and describe what is known about the interaction between PEG-modified CNTs and biological systems. Although several pieces of the puzzle are still missing, we will also attempt to formulate a preliminary structure-function model for PEG-modified CNT cellular trafficking, disposition, and side effects.
authors.affiliation: Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States. mbottini@sanfordburnham.org
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bottini
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rosato
authors.forename: Nunzio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bottini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000379:methods*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols