Cytotoxicity of single-walled carbon nanotubes suspended in various surfactants

Abstract

The cytotoxicity of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) suspended in various surfactants was investigated by phase contrast light microscopy characterization in combination with an absorbance spectroscopy cytotoxicity analysis. Our data indicate that individual SWCNTs suspended in the surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS), were toxic to 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells due to the toxicity of SDS and SDBS on the nanotube surfaces. This toxicity was observed when cells were exposed to an SDS or SDBS solution having a concentration as low as 0.05 mg ml(-1) for 30 min. The proliferation and viability of the cells were not affected by SWCNTs alone or by conjugates of SWCNTs with various concentrations of sodium cholate (SC) or single-stranded DNA. The cells proliferated similarly to untreated cells when surrounded by SWCNTs as they grow, which indicated that the nanotubes did not affect cells adversely. The cytotoxicity of the nanotube-surfactant conjugates was controlled in these experiments by the toxicity of the surfactants. Consequently, when evaluating a surfactant to be used for the dispersion of nanoscale materials in applications such as nanoscale electronics or non-viral biomolecular transporters, the cytotoxicity needs to be evaluated. The methodology proposed in this study can be used to investigate the cytotoxicity of other nanoscale materials suspended in a variety of surfactants.

Evaluation of cytotoxicity, biophysics and biomechanics of cells treated with functionalized hybrid nanomaterials

“…Therefore, the biocompatibility showed by the PVA was not surprising. By contrast, wrapping DNA with the use of SDS resulted in an abrupt reduction in cell viability, which may have been due to the SDS surfactant used to disperse hybrid during DNA attachment (see electronic supplementary material, figure S1a) [33]. It is very important to emphasize that the common problem of interference of CNT with the assay indicator formazan did not influence the cytotoxicity results presented above [20,34].…”

The Effect of DNA and Sodium Cholate Dispersed Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Green Algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

“…Work with SWCNT well-dispersed in various nontoxic surfactants on rat liver cells and human lung fibroblasts also showed no toxic effects [38,39]. Furthermore, DNA:SWCNT and SC:SWCNT showed no toxic effect on human astrocytoma cells [40]. Therefore, it is possible that strong dispersion of SWCNTs with nontoxic coatings negates their toxicity.…”

Bioimpact of Carbon Nanomaterials

“…In this way, not only the toxicity of cocontaminants is being increased, but also cocontaminants adsorbed on nC 60 can reach aquatic ecosystems by water runoff and thus endanger those ecosystems. Furthermore, surfactants are greatly responsible for the toxicity of SWNTs suspended in various surfactants [400] such as sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, gum arabic and Triton X-100 [401,402].…”