Chemistry professors Alexander Star and Stéphane Petoud at the University of Pittburgh have developed nanosized capsules using carbon nanomaterials that may one day enhance technologies for delivering drugs or imaging agents to the body. With the aid of antibodies and biological molecules, the devices may also be able to target specific locations within the human body.
The scientists have used carbon nanomaterials to create enhanced versions of existing technologies. Existing technologies are typically constructed of polymers that are permeable like a sponge and can result in leakage, Star explains. Additionally, each capsule must be tailored to its particular cargo. Star and Petoud’s invention employs graphite carbon shells bonded with glutaraldehyde—a common biological adhesive—to create a hollow storage space. Since the graphite shells are chemically inactive, they are compatible with any cargo substance without having to undergo costly and time-consuming chemical preparation, Star adds.
To illustrate the capsules’ adaptability, the team loaded them with a luminescent imaging agent made of zinc sulfide semiconductor nanocrystals incorporating terbium, a metal that is chemically similar to europium. Once in the body, this substance would emit a unique light that allows easier detection and better imaging, Petoud comments. While inorganic nanocrystals have to be prepared before being introduced to a biological environment such as the body, the graphite nanocapsules can hold and transport the solution without preparation.
“For decades, researchers have been searching for an optimal vessel for storing and transporting a variety of cargo to specified locations,” Star remarks. “Our devices have the potential to be universal delivery vehicles for a range of materials. Our next steps will focus on controlling how and when the nanocapsules open by using different stimuli such as pH, light, and chemical agents.”
Tags: carbon nanocapsules, Drug Delivery
