Carbon nanotube scaffolds instruct human dendritic cells: modulating immune responses by contacts at the nanoscale.
Nanomaterials interact with cells and modify their function and biology. Manufacturing this ability can provide tissue-engineering scaffolds with nanostructures able to influence tissue growth and performance. Carbon nanotube compatibility with biomolecules motivated ongoing interest in the development of biosensors and devices including such materials. More recently, carbon nanotubes have been applied in several areas of nerve tissue engineering to study cell behavior or to instruct the growth and organization of neural networks. To gather further knowledge on the true potential of future constructs, in particular to assess their immune-modulatory action, we evaluate carbon nanotubes interactions with human dendritic cells (DCs). DCs are professional antigen-presenting cells and their behavior can predict immune responses triggered by adhesion-dependent signaling. Here, we incorporate DC cultures to carbon nanotubes and we show by phenotype, microscopy, and transcriptional analysis that in vitro differentiated and activated DCs show when interfaced to carbon nanotubes a lower immunogenic profile.
Department of NEUROFARBA, University of Florence , 50134 Firenze, Italy.
Alessandra
A
Aldinucci
Antonio
A
Turco
Tiziana
T
Biagioli
Francesca Maria
FM
Toma
Daniele
D
Bani
Daniele
D
Guasti
Cinzia
C
Manuelli
Lisa
L
Rizzetto
Duccio
D
Cavalieri
Luca
L
Massacesi
Tommaso
T
Mello
Denis
D
Scaini
Alberto
A
Bianco
Laura
L
Ballerini
Maurizio
M
Prato
Clara
C
Ballerini
D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry
D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon