Home > NANO-RESEARCH > Vol. 2 (2009) > No. 7
Article Title
Carbon nanotubes inhibit the hemolytic activity of the pore-forming toxin pyolysin
Keywords
Single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWNT), pore-forming toxin, pyolysin, hemolytic activity, red blood cell, protein-nanotube interaction, detoxifi cation
Abstract
Functionalized carbon nanotubes have already demonstrated great biocompatibility and potential for drug delivery. We have synthesized acid oxidized and non-covalently PEGlyated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), which were previously prepared for drug delivery purposes, and explored their potential for detoxifi cation in the bloodstream. Our investigations of the binding of SWNTs to a pore-forming toxin pyolysin show that SWNTs prevented toxin-induced pore formation in the cell membrane of human red blood cells. Quantitative hemolysis assay and scanning electron microscopy were used to evaluate the inhibition of hemolytic activity of pyolysin. According to Raman spectroscopy data, human red blood cells, unlike HeLa cells, did not internalize oxidized SWNTs. Molecular modeling and circular dichroism measurements were used to predict the 3-D structure of pyolysin (domain 4) and its interaction with SWNTs. The tryptophan-rich hydrophobic motif in the membrane-binding domain of pyolysin, a common construct in a large family of cholesterol-dependent cytolysins, shows high affi nity for SWNTs.
Graphical Abstract
Publisher
Tsinghua University Press
Recommended Citation
Apraku David Donkor,Zhengding Su,Himadri S. Mandal,Xu Jin,Xiaowu Shirley Tang, Carbon nanotubes inhibit the hemolytic activity of the pore-forming toxin pyolysin. NanoRes.2009, 2: 517-525