Structural profiling and biological performance of phospholipid-hyaluronan functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes.

In spite of significant insolubility and toxicity, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) erupt into the biomedical research, and create an increasing interest in the field of nanomedicine. Single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) are highly hydrophobic and have been shown to be toxic while systemically administrated. Thus, SWCNTs have to be functionalized to render water solubility and biocompatibility.

Hyaluronan-coated nanoparticles: the influence of the molecular weight on CD44-hyaluronan interactions and on the immune response.

Hyaluronan (HA), a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan, exerts different biological functions depending on its molecular weight ranging from 4000-10M Da. While high Mw HA (HMw-HA) is considered as anti-inflammatory, low Mw HA (LMw-HA) has been reported to activate an innate immune response. In addition, opposing effects on cell proliferation mediated by the HA receptor CD44, have also been reported for high and low Mw HA.