Evaluating the Cytotoxicity of Monolayered and Multilayered Carbon Nanotubes on Three Different Human Cell Lines

Nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology have emerged as novel technologies for the production and application of nanoscale materials in different pharmaceutical, medical, and biological fields. Besides, there are a bunch of recently published patents in this field. Although Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) have various advantages and can be applied for a wide variety of purposes, their toxicity on humans is a matter of concern.

This study aimed to evaluate six different types of CNTs, including pristine, carboxylated, and hydroxylated single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) and multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) on three human cell lines.

MTT assay was employed to assess the cytotoxicity of six types of CNTs, including pristine, carboxylated, and hydroxylated forms of SWCNTs and MWCNTs on three different human cell lines.

The findings of the MTT assay showed that the six different types of CNTs (100- 600 μg/mL) exhibited different levels of cytotoxicity on the three human cell lines. The observed trend presented dose-dependent cytotoxicity on the three studied cell lines, including pulmonary, skin, and gastrointestinal cell lines. SWCNT-COOH and MWCNTs accounted for the lowest cell viability in the three human cell lines.

In conclusion, researchers and industrial workers are recommended to be cautious while working with different types of CNT because all their toxicity dimensions have not been determined yet.