@article{al-jamal_cellular_2011,
title = {Cellular uptake mechanisms of functionalised multi-walled carbon nanotubes by 3D electron tomography imaging},
author = {Khuloud T Al-Jamal and Hannah Nerl and Karin H Müller and Hanene Ali-Boucetta and Shouping Li and Peter D Haynes and Joerg R Jinschek and Maurizio Prato and Alberto Bianco and Kostas Kostarelos and Alexandra E Porter},
doi = {10.1039/c1nr10080g},
issn = {2040-3372},
year = {2011},
date = {2011-06-01},
journal = {Nanoscale},
volume = {3},
number = {6},
pages = {2627--2635},
abstract = {Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being investigated for a variety of biomedical applications. Despite numerous studies, the pathways by which carbon nanotubes enter cells and their subsequent intracellular trafficking and distribution remain poorly determined. Here, we use 3-D electron tomography techniques that offer optimum enhancement of contrast between carbon nanotubes and the plasma membrane to investigate the mechanisms involved in the cellular uptake of shortened, functionalised multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT-NH(3)(+)). Both human lung epithelial (A549) cells, that are almost incapable of phagocytosis and primary macrophages, capable of extremely efficient phagocytosis, were used. We observed that MWNT-NH(3)(+) were internalised in both phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells by any one of three mechanisms: (a) individually via membrane wrapping; (b) individually by direct membrane translocation; and (c) in clusters within vesicular compartments. At early time points following intracellular translocation, we noticed accumulation of nanotube material within various intracellular compartments, while a long-term (14-day) study using primary human macrophages revealed that MWNT-NH(3)(+) were able to escape vesicular (phagosome) entrapment by translocating directly into the cytoplasm.},
keywords = {carbon, Cell Line, Cell Membrane, Cytoplasm, Electron Microscope Tomography, Humans, I2CT, imaging, Macrophages, Nanotubes, Phagocytosis, Phagosomes, Team-Bianco, Three-Dimensional, tumor},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being investigated for a variety of biomedical applications. Despite numerous studies, the pathways by which carbon nanotubes enter cells and their subsequent intracellular trafficking and distribution remain poorly determined. Here, we use 3-D electron tomography techniques that offer optimum enhancement of contrast between carbon nanotubes and the plasma membrane to investigate the mechanisms involved in the cellular uptake of shortened, functionalised multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT-NH(3)(+)). Both human lung epithelial (A549) cells, that are almost incapable of phagocytosis and primary macrophages, capable of extremely efficient phagocytosis, were used. We observed that MWNT-NH(3)(+) were internalised in both phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells by any one of three mechanisms: (a) individually via membrane wrapping; (b) individually by direct membrane translocation; and (c) in clusters within vesicular compartments. At early time points following intracellular translocation, we noticed accumulation of nanotube material within various intracellular compartments, while a long-term (14-day) study using primary human macrophages revealed that MWNT-NH(3)(+) were able to escape vesicular (phagosome) entrapment by translocating directly into the cytoplasm.