title: Pectin-coated boron nitride nanotubes: In vitro cyto-/immune-compatibility on RAW 264.7 macrophages.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) represent a new opportunity for drug delivery and clinical therapy. The present work has the objective to investigate pectin-coated BNNTs (P-BNNTs) for their biocompatibility on macrophage cultures, since these cells are among the first components of the immune system to interact with administered nanoparticles.
  
  
  METHODS
  As first step, the potential toxicity of P-BNNTs is verified in terms of proliferation, oxidative stress induction and apoptosis/necrosis phenomena. Thereafter, the modulation of immune cell response following P-BNNT exposure is evaluated at gene and protein level, in particular focusing on cytokine release. Finally, P-BNNT internalization is assessed through transmission electron microscopy and confocal microscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results proved that P-BNNTs are not toxic for macrophages up to 50 μg/ml after 24 h of incubation. The cytokine expression is not affected by P-BNNT administration both at gene and protein level. Moreover, P-BNNTs are internalized by macrophages without impairments of the cell structures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Collected data suggest that P-BNNTs cause neither adverse effects nor inflammation processes in macrophages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings represent the first and fundamental step in immune compatibility evaluation of BNNTs, mandatory before any further pre-clinical testing.
authors.affiliation: Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera (Pisa), Italy; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Micro-BioRobotics @SSSA, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera (Pisa), Italy. Electronic address: a.rocca@sssup.it.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rocca
authors.affiliation: Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, The BioRobotics Institute, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera (Pisa), Italy; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Micro-BioRobotics @SSSA, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera (Pisa), Italy.
authors.forename: Attilio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.affiliation: CNR, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Del Turco
authors.affiliation: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Nanotechnology Innovation @NEST, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cappello
authors.affiliation: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Nanotechnology Innovation @NEST, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy; NEST, Scuola Normale Superiore and Istituto di Nanoscienze-CNR, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parlanti
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Via S. Zeno 31, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), Namiki 1-1, 305-0044 Tsukuba (Ibaraki), Japan.
authors.forename: Dmitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Golberg
authors.affiliation: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Micro-BioRobotics @SSSA, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera (Pisa), Italy.
authors.forename: Virgilio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mattoli
authors.affiliation: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Micro-BioRobotics @SSSA, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera (Pisa), Italy; Politecnico di Torino, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy. Electronic address: gianni.ciofani@polito.it.
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciofani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001896:Boron Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D002460:Cell Line; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000737:chemistry*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008422:Materials Testing; D051379:Mice; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry*; D010368:Pectins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001896:Boron Compounds; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D016207:Cytokines; C017282:boron nitride; D010368:Pectins
keywords: Boron nitride nanotubes; Cytocompatibility; Immune system; Macrophages