Nature Nanotechnology

Our medical research library holds 7 studies published in Nature Nanotechnology (2008–2024). Each entry links to the study's record on PubMed and, where there is one, to the publisher's page and a free full text. 6 have an abstract, the authors' own summary as PubMed records it: open "Abstract" to read it. For 1 study PubMed has no abstract for, we give the abstract printed in the article or, where there is none, a summary we wrote from it, each labeled as such.

About the journal

• Publisher: Nature Pub. Group
• Published: 2006 to the present, England
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1748-3387 (print), 1748-3395 (electronic)
• Its record in the NLM Catalog

2020s

• Nanosensor detection of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species leakage in frustrated phagocytosis of nanofibres. Y.T. Qi, F.L. Zhang, S.Y. Tian, et al. 2024;19(4):524-533. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Exposure to widely used inert fibrous nanomaterials (for example, glass fibres or carbon nanotubes) may result in asbestos-like lung pathologies, becoming an important environmental and health concern. However, the origin of the pathogenesis of such fibres has not yet been clearly established. Here we report an electrochemical nanosensor that is used to monitor and quantitatively characterize the flux and dynamics of reactive species release during the frustrated phagocytosis of glass nanofibres by single macrophages. We show the existence of an intense prolonged release of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species by single macrophages near their phagocytic cups. This continued massive leakage of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species damages peripheral cells and eventually translates into chronic inflammation and lung injury, as seen during in vitro co-culture and in vivo experiments.

  © 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.

• Surface-fill hydrogel attenuates the oncogenic signature of complex anatomical surface cancer in a single application. P. Majumder, A. Singh, Z. Wang, et al. 2021;16(11):1251-1259. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Tumours growing in a sheet-like manner on the surface of organs and tissues with complex topologies represent a difficult-to-treat clinical scenario. Their complete surgical resection is difficult due to the complicated anatomy of the diseased tissue. Residual cancer often responds poorly to systemic therapy and locoregional treatment is hindered by the limited accessibility to microscopic tumour foci. Here we engineered a peptide-based surface-fill hydrogel (SFH) that can be syringe- or spray-delivered to surface cancers during surgery or used as a primary therapy. Once applied, SFH can shape change in response to alterations in tissue morphology that may occur during surgery. Implanted SFH releases nanoparticles composed of microRNA and intrinsically disordered peptides that enter cancer cells attenuating their oncogenic signature. With a single application, SFH shows efficacy in four preclinical models of mesothelioma, demonstrating the therapeutic impact of the local application of tumour-specific microRNA, which might change the treatment paradigm for mesothelioma and possibly other surface cancers.

  © 2021. This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply.

2010s

• Long-term pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes promotes breast cancer metastatic cascades. X. Lu, Y. Zhu, R. Bai, et al. 2019;14(7):719-727. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Anthropogenic carbon nanotubes, with a fibrous structure and physical properties similar to asbestos, have recently been found within human lung tissues. However, the reported carbon-nanotube-elicited pulmonary pathologies have been mostly confined to inflammatory or neoplastic lesions in the lungs or adjacent tissues. In the present study, we demonstrate that a single pulmonary exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes dramatically enhances angiogenesis and the invasiveness of orthotopically implanted mammary carcinoma, leading to metastasis and rapid colonization of the lungs and other organs. Exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes stimulates local and systemic inflammation, contributing to the formation of pre-metastatic and metastatic niches. Our study suggests that nanoscale-material-elicited pulmonary lesions may exert complex and extended influences on tumour progression. Given the increasing presence of carbon nanotubes in the environment, this report emphasizes the urgent need to escalate efforts assessing the long-term risks of airborne nanomaterial exposure in non-lung cancer progression.

• Cell entry of one-dimensional nanomaterials occurs by tip recognition and rotation. X. Shi, A. von dem Bussche, R.H. Hurt, et al. 2011;6(11):714-9. Letter PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Materials with high aspect ratio, such as carbon nanotubes and asbestos fibres, have been shown to cause length-dependent toxicity in certain cells because these long materials prevent complete ingestion and this frustrates the cell. Biophysical models have been proposed to explain how spheres and elliptical nanostructures enter cells, but one-dimensional nanomaterials have not been examined. Here, we show experimentally and theoretically that cylindrical one-dimensional nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes enter cells through the tip first. For nanotubes with end caps or carbon shells at their tips, uptake involves tip recognition through receptor binding, rotation that is driven by asymmetric elastic strain at the tube-bilayer interface, and near-vertical entry. The precise angle of entry is governed by the relative timescales for tube rotation and receptor diffusion. Nanotubes without caps or shells on their tips show a different mode of membrane interaction, posing an interesting question as to whether modifying the tips of tubes may help avoid frustrated uptake by cells.

2000s

• Inhaled carbon nanotubes reach the subpleural tissue in mice. J.P. Ryman-Rasmussen, M.F. Cesta, A.R. Brody, et al. 2009;4(11):747-51. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Carbon nanotubes are shaped like fibres and can stimulate inflammation at the surface of the peritoneum when injected into the abdominal cavity of mice, raising concerns that inhaled nanotubes may cause pleural fibrosis and/or mesothelioma. Here, we show that multiwalled carbon nanotubes reach the subpleura in mice after a single inhalation exposure of 30 mg m(-3) for 6 h. Nanotubes were embedded in the subpleural wall and within subpleural macrophages. Mononuclear cell aggregates on the pleural surface increased in number and size after 1 day and nanotube-containing macrophages were observed within these foci. Subpleural fibrosis unique to this form of nanotubes increased after 2 and 6 weeks following inhalation. None of these effects was seen in mice that inhaled carbon black nanoparticles or a lower dose of nanotubes (1 mg m(-3)). This work suggests that minimizing inhalation of nanotubes during handling is prudent until further long-term assessments are conducted.

• Carbon nanotubes introduced into the abdominal cavity of mice show asbestos-like pathogenicity in a pilot study. C.A. Poland, R. Duffin, I. Kinloch, et al. 2008;3(7):423-8. PubMed · Publisher

  Abstract

  Carbon nanotubes have distinctive characteristics, but their needle-like fibre shape has been compared to asbestos, raising concerns that widespread use of carbon nanotubes may lead to mesothelioma, cancer of the lining of the lungs caused by exposure to asbestos. Here we show that exposing the mesothelial lining of the body cavity of mice, as a surrogate for the mesothelial lining of the chest cavity, to long multiwalled carbon nanotubes results in asbestos-like, length-dependent, pathogenic behaviour. This includes inflammation and the formation of lesions known as granulomas. This is of considerable importance, because research and business communities continue to invest heavily in carbon nanotubes for a wide range of products under the assumption that they are no more hazardous than graphite. Our results suggest the need for further research and great caution before introducing such products into the market if long-term harm is to be avoided.

• Nanotoxicology: the asbestos analogy revisited. A.B. Kane, R.H. Hurt. 2008;3(7):378-9. PubMed · Publisher

  Summary

  In this News & Views commentary, the authors discussed two recent mouse studies on whether carbon nanotubes might behave like asbestos and cause mesothelioma. In the first, by Donaldson and co-workers, long multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) injected into the abdominal cavity of mice induced inflammation, granulomas and early fibrosis of the mesothelial lining. These lesions resembled those caused by long amosite fibres. Shorter nanotubes and carbon black had much less effect, and the seven-day exposure did not induce mesothelioma. In the second, by Kanno and colleagues, MWNTs injected into the abdominal cavity of p53+/– mice produced tumours in 88% of treated mice after 25 weeks, compared with 79% for crocidolite. C60 fullerene produced no mesotheliomas. The authors described the proposed mechanism: fibres longer than 10–20 μm cannot be fully engulfed by macrophages, which leads to frustrated phagocytosis, free radical release, persistent inflammation and DNA damage. They concluded that the studies provided evidence for an asbestos-like response in certain cases. However, they judged it premature to declare nanotubes a major mesothelioma risk factor in humans. Their reasons were uncertainty about whether inhaled nanotubes reach the mesothelium, the influence of aggregation state, the need to confirm the tumour diagnoses in the genetically engineered mice, limited biopersistence data, and difficulty extrapolating to other nanotube types. They suggested that identifying toxic features such as fibre length could guide safer nanotube design.

  PubMed has no abstract for this study, and the article doesn't print one. We wrote this summary from the full article with the help of AI. It is not the authors' wording.

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