title: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes change morpho-functional and GABA characteristics of mouse cortical astrocytes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MW-CNTs) have been extensively explored for their possible beneficial use in the nervous system. CNTs have shown to modulate neuronal growth and electrical properties, but its effect that varying length of MW-CNTs on primary astrocyte roles have not been clearly demonstrated yet.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We investigate here the effect of MW-CNTs on astrocytic morphology, cell-cell interaction and the distribution of intracellular GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid). Primary cultured cortical astrocytes on MW-CNT-coated glass coverslips grow rounder and make more cell-cell interactions, with many cell processes, compared to astrocytes on poly-D-lysine (PDL) coverslips. In addition, intracellular GABA spreads into the cell processes of astrocytes on MW-CNT coverslips. When this GABA spreads into cell processes from the cell body GABA can be released more easily and in larger quantities compared to astrocytes on PDL coverslips.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our result confirm that MW-CNTs modulate astrocytic morphology, the distribution of astrocytic GABA, cell-cell interactions and the extension of cell processes. CNTs look to be a promising material for use neuroprosthetics such as brain-machine interface technologies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanobiomedical Science and BK21 PLUS NBM Global Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, Dankook University, Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, 330-714, Republic of Korea. joookmin@dankook.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Joo-Ok
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanobiomedical Science and BK21 PLUS NBM Global Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, Dankook University, Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, 330-714, Republic of Korea. tjdduf4u@dankook.ac.kr.|Institute of Tissue Regeneration Engineering (ITREN), Dankook University, Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, 330-714, Republic of Korea. tjdduf4u@dankook.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Seong Yeol
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanobiomedical Science and BK21 PLUS NBM Global Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, Dankook University, Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, 330-714, Republic of Korea. usshin12@dankook.ac.kr.|Institute of Tissue Regeneration Engineering (ITREN), Dankook University, Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, 330-714, Republic of Korea. usshin12@dankook.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Ueon Sang
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanobiomedical Science and BK21 PLUS NBM Global Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, Dankook University, Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, 330-714, Republic of Korea. boeunyoon@dankook.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Bo-Eun
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Yoon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D062207:Brain-Computer Interfaces / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002450:Cell Communication; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D011107:Polylysine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D061251:Primary Cell Culture; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D011107:Polylysine; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid