Abstract

CARBON NANOTUBES: A PROMISING CARRIER FOR DRUG DELIVERY

Ramkumar R. P.*, Aswathy B., Remya Ravindran, Labeeba Paduvanpadath, Rekha M. and Nabeela P.

ABSTRACT

Carbon nanotubules have been demonstrated to deliver proteins, nucleic acids, drugs, antibodies and other therapeutics. Emerging developments in this area are pointing towards the successful utilization of carbon nanotubes for drug delivery. This is because they can be easily manipulated and modified by encapsulation with biopolymers or by covalent linking of solubilising groups to the external walls and tips. Ammonium functionalized CNTs can also be considered very promising vectors for gene-encoding nucleic acids. Stable complexes between cationic CNTs and plasmid DNA and demonstrated the enhancement of the gene therapeutic capacity in comparison to DNA alone. Using it in cancer treatment can guarantee 85% of the cure which other treatments cannot afford and having 100% site target with its body friendly nature adds to its advantage. The versatile properties of CNTs have made them stand high in all fields, especially in medicine it has become a boon to the mankind, but the lack of technology for mass production and the costs of the production is what is holding them back

Keywords: Carbon nanotubes, Bipolymers.