Shvedova A A, Kisin E R, Porter D, Schulte P, Kagan V E, Fadeel B, Castranova V
Pathology and Physiology Research Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV, United States.
Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Feb;121(2):192-204. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2008.10.009. Epub 2008 Dec 6.
Nanotechnology is an emerging science involving manipulation of materials at the nanometer scale. There are several exciting prospects for the application of engineered nanomaterials in medicine. However, concerns over adverse and unanticipated effects on human health have also been raised. In fact, the same properties that make engineered nanomaterials attractive from a technological and biomedical perspective could also make these novel materials harmful to human health and the environment. Carbon nanotubes are cylinders of one or several coaxial graphite layer(s) with a diameter in the order of nanometers, and serve as an instructive example of the Janus-like properties of nanomaterials. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that carbon nanotubes and/or associated contaminants or catalytic materials that arise during the production process may induce oxidative stress and prominent pulmonary inflammation. Recent studies also suggest some similarities between the pathogenic properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and those of asbestos fibers. On the other hand, carbon nanotubes can be readily functionalized and several studies on the use of carbon nanotubes as versatile excipients for drug delivery and imaging of disease processes have been reported, suggesting that carbon nanotubes may have a place in the armamentarium for treatment and monitoring of cancer, infection, and other disease conditions. Nanomedicine is an emerging field that holds great promise; however, close attention to safety issues is required to ensure that the opportunities that carbon nanotubes and other engineered nanoparticles offer can be translated into feasible and safe constructs for the treatment of human disease.
纳米技术是一门新兴科学，涉及在纳米尺度上对材料进行操控。工程纳米材料在医学中的应用有着若干令人兴奋的前景。然而，人们也对其对人类健康的不良和意外影响表示担忧。事实上，从技术和生物医学角度使工程纳米材料具有吸引力的相同特性，也可能使这些新型材料对人类健康和环境有害。碳纳米管是由一层或几层同轴石墨层构成的圆柱体，直径在纳米量级，它是纳米材料具有两面性的一个典型例子。大量的体外和体内研究表明，碳纳米管和/或生产过程中产生的相关污染物或催化材料可能会引发氧化应激和显著的肺部炎症。最近的研究还表明，多壁碳纳米管的致病特性与石棉纤维的致病特性存在一些相似之处。另一方面，碳纳米管可以很容易地进行功能化处理，并且已经有多项关于将碳纳米管用作药物递送和疾病过程成像的通用辅料的研究报道，这表明碳纳米管在癌症、感染及其他疾病状况的治疗和监测手段中可能占有一席之地。纳米医学是一个充满希望的新兴领域；然而，需要密切关注安全问题，以确保碳纳米管和其他工程纳米颗粒所提供的机会能够转化为治疗人类疾病的可行且安全的制剂。
