Alessandra Salvetti1, Leonardo Rossi1, Paola Iacopetti1, Xia Li2, Simone Nitti3, Teresa Pellegrino3, Virgilio Mattoli4, Dmitri Golberg2, Gianni Ciofani4. 1. Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Alessandro Volta 4, 56126 Pisa, Italy. 2. National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), Namiki 1-1, 305-0044 Tsukuba (Ibaraki), Japan. 3. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy. 4. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Micro-BioRobotics @SSSA, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera (Pisa), Italy.
Abstract
AIM: Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) represent an extremely interesting class of nanomaterials, and recent findings have suggested a number of applications in the biomedical field. Anyhow, extensive biocompatibility investigations are mandatory before any further advancement toward preclinical testing. MATERIALS & METHODS: Here, we report on the effects of multiwalled BNNTs in freshwater planarians, one of the best-characterized in vivo models for developmental biology and regeneration research. RESULTS & DISCUSSION: Obtained results indicate that BNNTs are biocompatible in the investigated model, since they do not induce oxidative DNA damage and apoptosis, and do not show adverse effects on planarian stem cell biology and on de novo tissue regeneration. In summary, collected findings represent another important step toward BNNT realistic applications in nanomedicine.
AIM: Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) represent an extremely interesting class of nanomaterials, and recent findings have suggested a number of applications in the biomedical field. Anyhow, extensive biocompatibility investigations are mandatory before any further advancement toward preclinical testing. MATERIALS & METHODS: Here, we report on the effects of multiwalled BNNTs in freshwater planarians, one of the best-characterized in vivo models for developmental biology and regeneration research. RESULTS & DISCUSSION: Obtained results indicate that BNNTs are biocompatible in the investigated model, since they do not induce oxidative DNA damage and apoptosis, and do not show adverse effects on planarian stem cell biology and on de novo tissue regeneration. In summary, collected findings represent another important step toward BNNT realistic applications in nanomedicine.
Entities:
Keywords:
DNA damage; blastema; boron nitride nanotubes; oxidative stress; planarians