Department of Chemistry, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa.
Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2013 May 1;105:310-8. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2012.12.054. Epub 2013 Jan 14.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been proposed and are actively being explored as innovative multipurpose carriers for biomolecules and diagnostic applications. Their versatile physico-chemical features enable them as a carrier of several pharmaceutically relevant entities and allow them for rational design of novel nanoscale candidates for drug development. Functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNT) are emerging as a new family of nanovectors for the delivery of different types of therapeutic molecules. The application of CNTs in the field of carrier-mediated delivery has become possible after the recent discovery of their capacity to penetrate into the cells. CNT can be loaded with active molecules by forming stable covalent bonds or supramolecular assemblies based on noncovalent interactions. Once the cargos are carried into various cells, tissues and organs they are able to express their biological function. In this review, we will describe the potential of f-CNT as a vehicle to deliver different types of therapeutic agents into the biological species.
碳纳米管（CNTs）已被提出并被积极探索作为生物分子和诊断应用的创新多用途载体。它们多功能的物理化学特性使它们成为几种药物相关实体的载体，并允许对新型纳米级药物开发候选物进行合理设计。功能化碳纳米管（f-CNT）作为新型纳米载体家族，用于递不同类型的治疗分子。在最近发现它们能够穿透细胞之后，CNTs 在载体介导的递领域的应用成为可能。CNT 可以通过形成稳定的共价键或基于非共价相互作用的超分子组装来装载活性分子。一旦货物被递送到各种细胞、组织和器官，它们就能够表达它们的生物功能。在这篇综述中，我们将描述 f-CNT 作为一种将不同类型的治疗剂递送到生物物种的载体的潜力。
