Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Carbon nanotubes lower nerve-damaging chloride in cells

Abstract:
A nanomaterial engineered by researchers at Duke can help regulate chloride levels in nerve cells that contribute to chronic pain, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.

Carbon nanotubes lower nerve-damaging chloride in cells

Durham, NC | Posted on December 10th, 2012

The findings, published online Dec. 10, 2012, in the journal Small, were demonstrated in individual nerve cells as well as in the brains of mice and rats, and may have future applications in intracranial or spinal devices to help treat neural injuries.

Carbon nanotubes are a nanomaterial with unique features, including mechanical strength and electrical conductivity. These characteristics, along with their tiny size, make them appealing to researchers in technology and medicine alike.

In a world of shrinking computers and smartphones, carbon nanotubes have been tapped as a solution for improving microchips. They outpace silicon microchips in size and performance, meeting a demand for smaller, faster devices. For people with nerve injury and certain neurological disorders, devices coated with or entirely made of carbon nanotubes could offer a new avenue for improving treatment options.

"Carbon nanotubes hold great promise for an array of applications, and we are only beginning to see their enormous potential," said lead author Wolfgang Liedtke, M.D., PhD, associate professor of medicine and neurobiology at Duke. "Their exceptional mechanical and electrical properties make them ideal for developing devices that interface with nervous tissues. However, the precise mechanisms behind carbon nanotubes and their effect on neurons remain elusive."

Not all carbon nanotubes are the same. Jie Liu, PhD, George Barth Geller Professor of Chemistry at Duke University and senior author of the study, developed specific carbon nanotubes that are extraordinarily pure. Termed few-walled carbon nanotubes, they have superior properties to their commercially-available counterparts.

Duke researchers initially set out to gauge if carbon nanotubes had toxic or adverse effects on living tissue. Studying neurons cultured from rodents, representing a "cerebral cortex in a dish," they found the opposite. Exposing the cells to carbon nanotubes appeared to have a nourishing effect on the neurons, making them bigger and stronger.

"Previous studies have looked at the behavior of carbon nanotubes on neurons. However, the impurity in the nanotubes significantly affected the results. After we developed pure few-walled carbon nanotubes in our lab, we discovered that nanotubes actually accelerated the growth of the neuronal cells significantly," said Liu.

Neural circuits can be corrupted by elevated chloride within neurons. A number of diseases involve such neural circuit damage, including chronic pain, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.

Low levels of chloride within neurons are maintained by a chloride transporter protein called KCC2, which functions by churning chloride ions out of the cell. In mature neurons, there is no back-up for this function.

The immature neurons cultured in Liedtke's laboratory had high levels of chloride, but as the cells matured, their chloride levels dropped as KCC2 increased. When the neurons were exposed to carbon nanotubes, the cells matured much faster, and the chloride levels dropped more quickly. Researchers learned that younger cells exposed to carbon nanotubes produced more KCC2 protein.

"Carbon nanotubes enhanced the regulation of chloride in neurons to normal levels. These changes are of enormous significance to the cell," Liedtke said.

The increase in KCC2 protein was also connected to a rise in calcium in the neurons. The increased calcium levels activated a protein found in the brain called CaMKII which signals a neuron to make more KCC2.

Similar results were observed in mice brains, as the carbon nanotubes prompted an increase in activity of the KCC2 gene, suggesting that the few-walled carbon nanotubes influence gene regulation of KCC2.

These findings may lead to the development of a new generation of neural engineering devices using carbon nanotubes. Existing devices that modulate the function of nerve cells use electrical systems that date back several decades.

"We hope that carbon nanotubes will work as well in injured nerves as they did in our study of developing neurons," Liedtke continued. "The use of carbon nanotubes is just in its infancy, and we are excited to be part of a developing field with so much potential."

In addition to Liedtke and Liu, study authors include Michele Yeo, Yiding Wang, and Ken Berglund in the Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology; Hongbo Zhang in the Department of Chemistry; Michelle Gignac in the Department of Mechanical Engineering; and Sara Miller in the Department of Pathology.

The research received funding from Duke University, the Klingenstein Fund, the National Institutes of Health (R21NS066307), and the Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT).

Liedtke and Liu have filed a preliminary patent application for the few-walled carbon nanotubes used in this research.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Rachel Bloch Harrison

919-419-5069

Copyright © Duke University Medical Center

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

News and information

Flexible electronics integrated with paper-thin structure for use in space January 17th, 2025

‘Brand new physics’ for next generation spintronics: Physicists discover a unique quantum behavior that offers a new way to manipulate electron-spin and magnetization to push forward cutting-edge spintronic technologies, like computing that mimics the human brain January 17th, 2025

Quantum engineers ‘squeeze’ laser frequency combs to make more sensitive gas sensors January 17th, 2025

How a milk component could eliminate one of the biggest challenges in treating cancer and other disease, including rare diseases: Nebraska startup to use nanoparticles found in milk to target therapeutics to specific cells January 17th, 2025

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

Department of Energy announces $71 million for research on quantum information science enabled discoveries in high energy physics: Projects combine theory and experiment to open new windows on the universe January 17th, 2025

Quantum engineers ‘squeeze’ laser frequency combs to make more sensitive gas sensors January 17th, 2025

Chainmail-like material could be the future of armor: First 2D mechanically interlocked polymer exhibits exceptional flexibility and strength January 17th, 2025

Researchers uncover strong light-matter interactions in quantum spin liquids: Groundbreaking experiment supported by Rice researcher reveals new insights into a mysterious phase of quantum matter December 13th, 2024

Nanotubes/Buckyballs/Fullerenes/Nanorods/Nanostrings

Chainmail-like material could be the future of armor: First 2D mechanically interlocked polymer exhibits exceptional flexibility and strength January 17th, 2025

Innovative biomimetic superhydrophobic coating combines repair and buffering properties for superior anti-erosion December 13th, 2024

Catalytic combo converts CO2 to solid carbon nanofibers: Tandem electrocatalytic-thermocatalytic conversion could help offset emissions of potent greenhouse gas by locking carbon away in a useful material January 12th, 2024

TU Delft researchers discover new ultra strong material for microchip sensors: A material that doesn't just rival the strength of diamonds and graphene, but boasts a yield strength 10 times greater than Kevlar, renowned for its use in bulletproof vests November 3rd, 2023

Nanomedicine

How a milk component could eliminate one of the biggest challenges in treating cancer and other disease, including rare diseases: Nebraska startup to use nanoparticles found in milk to target therapeutics to specific cells January 17th, 2025

Exosomes: A potential biomarker and therapeutic target in diabetic cardiomyopathy November 8th, 2024

NYU Abu Dhabi researchers develop novel covalent organic frameworks for precise cancer treatment delivery: NYU Abu Dhabi researchers develop novel covalent organic frameworks for precise cancer treatment delivery September 13th, 2024

Unveiling the power of hot carriers in plasmonic nanostructures August 16th, 2024

Discoveries

Autonomous AI assistant to build nanostructures: An interdisciplinary research group at TU Graz is working on constructing logic circuits through the targeted arrangement of individual molecules: Artificial intelligence should speed up the process enormously January 17th, 2025

‘Brand new physics’ for next generation spintronics: Physicists discover a unique quantum behavior that offers a new way to manipulate electron-spin and magnetization to push forward cutting-edge spintronic technologies, like computing that mimics the human brain January 17th, 2025

Quantum engineers ‘squeeze’ laser frequency combs to make more sensitive gas sensors January 17th, 2025

How a milk component could eliminate one of the biggest challenges in treating cancer and other disease, including rare diseases: Nebraska startup to use nanoparticles found in milk to target therapeutics to specific cells January 17th, 2025

Announcements

Quantum engineers ‘squeeze’ laser frequency combs to make more sensitive gas sensors January 17th, 2025

How a milk component could eliminate one of the biggest challenges in treating cancer and other disease, including rare diseases: Nebraska startup to use nanoparticles found in milk to target therapeutics to specific cells January 17th, 2025

The National Space Society Congratulates SpaceX on Starship’s 7th Test Flight: Latest Test of the Megarocket Hoped to Demonstrate a Number of New Technologies and Systems January 17th, 2025

The National Space Society Congratulates Blue Origin on the Inaugural Flight of New Glenn: The Heavy Lift Reusable Rocket Will Open New Frontiers and Provide Healthy Competition January 17th, 2025

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project