Cell Creeping and Controlled Migration by Magnetic Carbon Nanotubes

• Published in: Nanoscale research letters 2010-01, Vol.5 (1), p.257-262, Article 257
• Main Authors: Raffa, V, Vittorio, O, Ciofani, G, Pensabene, V, Cuschieri, A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemistry and Materials Science; Materials Science; Molecular Medicine; Nano Ideas; Nanochemistry; Nanoscale Science and Technology; Nanotechnology; Nanotechnology and Microengineering
• ISSN: 1931-7573; 1556-276X; 1556-276X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11671-009-9463-y

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are tubular nanostructures that exhibit magnetic properties due to the metal catalyst impurities entrapped at their extremities during fabrication. When mammalian cells are cultured in a CNT-containing medium, the nanotubes interact with the cells, as a result of which, on exposure to a magnetic field, they are able to move cells towards the magnetic source. In the present paper, we report on a model that describes the dynamics of this mammalian cell movement in a magnetic field consequent on CNT attachment. The model is based on Bell's theory of unbinding dynamics of receptor-ligand bonds modified and validated by experimental data of the movement dynamics of mammalian cells cultured with nanotubes and exposed to a magnetic field, generated by a permanent magnet, in the vicinity of the cell culture wells. We demonstrate that when the applied magnetic force is below a critical value (about F c ≈ 10⁻¹¹ N), the cell ‘creeps' very slowly on the culture dish at a very low velocity (10-20 nm/s) but becomes detached from the substrate when this critical magnetic force is exceeded and then move towards the magnetic source.