title: Biodistribution of aqueous suspensions of carbon nanotubes in mice and their biocompatibility.
abstract: In this study, we prepared two-types of water-dispersible carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and investigated their biodistribution in mice as well as bio-/cyto-compatibility. After administration, their organs were excised at various post-injection times, then observed using both optical and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The color of the liver and lung markedly darkened, suggesting that administered CNTs reached these organs. By TEM observation, the CNTs were found in the liver and lung. They were observed even in the kidney and spleen, though their distributions in those organs were very low compared with that in liver and lung. Therefore, most of the administered CNTs would be accumulated in the liver or lung. However, the time profile of the body weight of CNT-administered mice was close to that of control mice. In addition, we estimated the cytocompatibility of the water-dispersible CNTs for hepatocytes. According to a TNF-alpha assay of the cells cultured with CNTs, the expression level was almost the same as that of the control. These results suggested that the water-dispersible CNTs have good bio-/cyto-compatibility under this condition.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, North 13, West 7, Kita-Ku, Sapporo 060-8586, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeaki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Toshihisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kiba
authors.forename: Tsukasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akasaka
authors.forename: Motohiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uo
authors.forename: Yasutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yawaka
authors.forename: Shin-Ichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Watari
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects*; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon