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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Engineering Molecular Recognition with Bio-mimetic Polymers on Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Published on: January 10, 2017
Proteomic investigation on bio-corona of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes
Maria Nicoletti1, Claudia Capodanno1, Cristian Gambarotti1
1Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, 20131 Milan, Italy.
Background:
The formation of bio-corona, due to adsorption of biomolecules onto carbon nanotubes (CNTs) surface in a physiological environment, may lead to a modified biological "identity" of CNTs, contributing to determination of their biocompatibility and toxicity.
Methods:
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes surfaces (f-MWCNTs) were modified attaching acid and basic chemical functions such as carboxyl (MWCNTs-COOH) and ammonium (MWCNTs-N) groups respectively. The investigation of interactions between f-MWCNTs and proteins present in biological fluids, like human plasma, was performed by electrophoretic separation (SDS-PAGE) and mass spectrometry analysis (nLC-MS/MS).
Results:
A total of 52 validated proteins was identified after incubation of f-MWCNTs in human plasma. 86% of them was present in bio-coronas formed on the surface of all f-MWCNTs and 29% has specifically interacted with only one type of f-MWCNTs.
Conclusions:
The evaluation of proteins primary structures, present in all bio-coronas, did not highlight any correlation between the chemical functionalization on MWCNTs and the content of acid, basic and hydrophobic amino acids. Despite this, many proteins of bio-corona, formed on all f-MWCNTs, were involved in the inhibitor activity of serine- or cysteine- endopeptidases, a molecular function completely unrevealed in the human plasma as control. Finally, the interaction with immune system's proteins and apolipoproteins has suggested a possible biocompatibility and a favored bio-distribution of tested f-MWCNTs.
General Significance:
Considering the great potential of CNTs in the nanomedicine, a specific chemical functionalization onto MWCNTs surface could control the protein corona formation and the biocompatibility of nanomaterials.
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