Polymer-Coated Carbon Nanotubes as a Molecular Heater Platform for Hyperthermic Therapy

Carbon nanotubes have been explored as heat-delivery vehicles for thermal ablation of tumors. To use single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) as a "molecular heater" for hyperthermic therapy in cancer treatment, stable dispersibility and smart-targeting potential are necessary. The current study reports the dispersibility and exothermic properties with near-infrared (NIR) exposure for SWNT coated with a copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide and polyethyleneglycol methacrylate (SWNT/PNIPAM-PEG-hybrid). The SWNT/PNIPAM-PEG hybrid showed stable dispersibility in PBS solution and exothermic potential with NIR exposure. Raman spectroscopy results revealed a hybrid-derived Raman peak in mouse liver and spleen lysates for 7 days post-injection that disappeared by 14 days in all tissues (liver, spleen, heart, lung and kidney). These results suggested that the hybrid did not accumulate in mouse organ tissues in the long-term. The SWNT/PNIPAM-PEG hybrid decreased the cell viability (of mouse macrophages) with heat generation by NIR exposure. The results of this study demonstrate that the SWNT/PNIPAM-PEG hybrid is a useful platform for a "molecular heater" applicable to hyperthermic cancer therapy.