In vitro investigation of the cellular toxicity of boron nitride nanotubes

Horváth, Lenke; Magrez, Arnaud; Golberg, Dmitri; Zhi, Chunyi; Bando, Yoshio; Smajda, Rita; Horváth, Endre; Forró, László; Schwaller, Beat

doi:10.1021/nn200139h

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In vitro investigation of the cellular toxicity of boron nitride nanotubes

Horváth, Lenke Laboratory of Physics of Complex Matter (LPMC), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland - Unit of Anatomy, Department of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Magrez, Arnaud Laboratory of Physics of Complex Matter (LPMC), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland - Center for Research on Electronically Advanced Materials (CREAM), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Golberg, Dmitri International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3050044, Japan
Zhi, Chunyi International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3050044, Japan
Bando, Yoshio International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3050044, Japan
Smajda, Rita Laboratory of Physics of Complex Matter (LPMC), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Horváth, Endre Laboratory of Physics of Complex Matter (LPMC), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Forró, László Laboratory of Physics of Complex Matter (LPMC), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland
Schwaller, Beat Unit of Anatomy, Department of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Switzerland

15.04.2011

Published in:

ACS Nano. - 2011, vol. 5, no. 5, p. 3800–3810

English Nanotubes present one of the most promising opportunities in nanotechnology with a plethora of applications in nanoelectronics, mechanical engineering, as well as in biomedical technology. Due to their structure and some physical properties, boron nitride (BN) nanotubes (BNNTs) possess several advantages over carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and they are now commercially produced and used on a large scale. The human and environmental exposure to BN nanomaterials is expected to increase in the near future, and their biological responses need to be examined. Using complementary assays, we have extensively investigated the effects of BNNTs on the viability and metabolic status of different cell types: on the one hand, the effects on cells present in the lung alveoli, and on the other hand, on human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells. Our results indicate that BNNTs are cytotoxic for all cell types studied and, in most cases, are more cytotoxic than CNTs in their pristine (p-CNT) and functionalized (f-CNT) form. However, the level of toxicity and the prominent morphological alterations in the cell populations withstanding BNNT exposure are cell-type-dependent. For instance, BNNTs induced extensive multinucleated giant cell formation in macrophages and increased levels of eosinophilia in fibroblasts. Finally, our results point the toxicity of tubular nanomaterials to be strongly correlated with the cellular accumulation enhanced for straight nanotubes.

Faculty

Faculté des sciences et de médecine

Department

Département de Médecine

Language