Uptake and distribution of fullerenes in human mast cells

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Anthony Dellinger (Creator)
Christopher Kepley, Associate Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Fullerenes are carbon cages of variable size that can be derivatized with various side chain moieties resulting in compounds that are being developed into nanomedicines. Although fullerene use in several preclinical in vitro and in vivo models of disease has demonstrated their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic agents, little is known about how they enter cells, what organelles they target, and the time course for their cellular deposition. Fullerenes (C70) that have already been shown to be potent inhibitors of mast cell (MC)–mediated allergic inflammation were conjugated with Texas red (TR) and used in conjunction with confocal microscopy to determine mechanisms of uptake, the organelle localization, and the duration they can be detected in situ. We show that C70-TR are nonspecifically endocytosed into MCs, where they are shuttled throughout the cytoplasm, lysosomes, mitochondria, and into endoplasmic reticulum at different times. No nuclear or secretory granule localization was observed. The C70-TR remained detectable within cells at 1 week. These studies show that MCs endocytose fullerenes, where they are shuttled to organelles involved with calcium and reactive oxygen species production, which may explain their efficacy as cellular inhibitors.

Additional Information

Publication
Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, 2010; 6 (4):575-82.
Language: English
Date: 2010
Keywords
Fullerene, Nanomedicine, Mast cell, Intracellular trafficking

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