Functional single-walled carbon nanotubes/chitosan conjugate for tumor cells targeting

The application of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in the field of biomedicine is becoming an exciting topic because of their flexible structure and propensity for chemical functionalization. In this assay, a novel noncovalently functional SWCNTs based on a natural biocompatible polymer chitosan has been developed for tumor cells targeting. First, SWCNTs were modified by chitosan (CHIT-SWCNT). Second, CHIT-SWCNT was coupled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), based on the reaction between the isothiocyanate group of FITC and the primary amino group of chitosan. Third, the FITC functionalized CHIT-SWCNT was conjugated with folic acid (FA) after activation with EDC/NHS, based on the reaction between the NHS group of FA and the primary free amino group of chitosan to construct the functional SWCNT/CHIT conjugate, CHIT-SWCNT-FA. The fluorescence CHIT-SWCNT-FA has been used to detect tumor cells with confocal microscopy imaging technology. Our experimental results indicate that the novel CHIT-SWCNT-FA is soluble and stable in PBS, and it can be readily transported inside tumor cells. Combining the intrinsic properties of carbon nanotubes and the versatility of chitosan, CHIT-SWCNT can be used as potential devices for targeted drug delivery and tumor cell sensing. The proposed assay could provide a feasible alternative to presently available functional SWCNTs in biological applications.