No effect of nanotubes on white blood cells, researchers find

December 10, 2004 | Source: KurzweilAI

The introduction of nanotubes in white blood cells caused no measurable change in cell properties like shape, rate of growth or the ability to adhere to surfaces, researchers from Rice University, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and the Texas Heart Institute have found.

The white blood cells, which were incubated in dilute solutions of Acccnanotubes, treated the nanotubes as they would other extracellular particles — actively ingesting them and sealing them off inside chambers known as phagosomes.

The nanotubes also retained their fluorescent properties, which allowed for use of a specialized microscope tuned to the near-infrared to pinpoint their locations within the cells. The new findings suggest that nanotubes might be valuable biological imaging agents.

Although long term studies on toxicity and biodistributions must be completed before nanotubes can be used in medical tests, the new findings indicate nanotubes could soon be useful as imaging markers in laboratory in-vitro studies, particularly in cases where the bleaching, toxicity and degradation of more traditional markers are problematic.

Rice University news release