title: Probing astroglia with carbon nanotubes: modulation of form and function.
abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown much promise in neurobiology and biomedicine. Their structural stability and ease of chemical modification make them compatible for biological applications. In this review, we discuss the effects that chemically functionalized CNTs, applied as colloidal solutes or used as strata, have on the morpho-functional properties of astrocytes, the most abundant cells present in the brain, with an insight into the potential use of CNTs in neural prostheses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Manoj K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Gottipati
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK Achucarro Center for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011 Bilbao, Spain Department of Neurosciences, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940 Leioa, Spain.
authors.forename: Alexei
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2592-9898
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verkhratsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia vlad@uab.edu.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4643-2197
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Parpura
mesh_terms: D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003102:Colloids; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D006108:Graphite
keywords: astrocytes; carbon nanotubes; glial fibrillary acidic protein; graft copolymers; morphology; proliferation