Supervisors info:
Κωνσταντίνος Ν. Συρίγος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Κωνσταντίνος Δεμέτζος, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Φαρμακευτικής, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Ιωάννης Γκιόζος, Ακαδημαϊκός Υπότροφος, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Carbon nanohorns (CNHs) are nanowires with promising prospects, both in the fields of energy, engineering and the environment, as well as in the fields of Medicine and Pharmacy. It is an allotropic form of carbon and represents a large part of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), with many proven results in industrial and medical applications, as well as the efficient transport of drugs and proteins to a variety of organisms, cells and tissues. Their discovery dates back to 1999, by Sumio Iijima and colleagues, where they were observed as horn-shaped shielding agglomerates made of graphene sheets. Carbon nanotubes with appropriate modification, to avoid toxicity, can be a means of transport of proteins, antibodies, drugs for the treatment of various diseases, such as the treatment of cancer cells. As a drug delivery system, successful studies have been performed based on transport into cells of various types and animal tissues of experimental animals and humans, when carbon nanohorns form an appropriate complex with bovine serum albumin (BSA). The results of these studies give a clear picture of the effectiveness of this complex, although it is useful to carry out further studies in the future, so as to collect even more data and highlight the already existing activity against other diseases, such as neurological diseases. From a series of studies that have been carried out, it is certain that carbon nanohorns are non-toxic and suitable for use in medical research, as metal catalysts are absent, resulting in easily modifiable materials. Of course, further studies are needed to investigate their function system with laser radiation and with proper management of cells and nanocarbons within the organism to be treated, in order to achieve the determination of the effective expression of various target genes in a tissue, thus developing a advanced treatment. Future technological developments could allow more in vivo and in vitro studies of different genes to be investigated. In general, carbon nanohorns are an integral part of the energy sector (a primary choice for aircraft engines) and in combination with albumin (carbon nanohorn/albumin complex) have potential health prospects for both cancer and diseases that have already been registered, but also for diseases that may come to light in the future.
Keywords:
Carbon nanohorns, Cancer cells, Albumin, Drug delivery systems.
