Biocompatible multi-walled carbon nanotube-chitosan–folic acid nanoparticle hybrids as GFP gene delivery materials

•The MWCNT-CS–FA NP hybrids were synthesized and used as gene delivery materials.•The effects of nanotube length and surface functionalization of MWCNTs on cytotoxicity and gene transporting property were investigated.•The shorter MWCNTs have larger cytotoxicity and transfection efficiency.•Modification of MWCNTs with CS–FA NPs improves the biocompatibility and transfection ability.

Carbon nanotube (CNT) is one of the inorganic delivery systems that show great potential for optimal biomolecule transporting. Concerning the preparation of CNT-based delivery vectors, it is very important to understand the internal relations of physical properties and surface functionalization of CNTs with the transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity. In this paper, the multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) of different length were functionalized with chitosan–folic acid nanoparticles (CS–FA NPs) by ionotropic gelation process. The micromorphologies, surface functional groups, and zeta potential of the MWCNT-CS–FA NPs were characterized. The effects of nanotube length and surface functionalization with CS–FA NPs on the gene transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity were investigated in detail. The non-functionalized MWCNTs and MWCNT-CS–FA NPs all can deliver the plasmid DNA of enhanced green fluorescent protein (pEGFP-N1) into HeLa and MCF-7 cells and the exogenous GFP gene has been expressed. The nanotube length shows a compromise influence on the transfection and cytotoxicity properties of MWCNTs. Having greater gene transfection ability, however, the shorter MWCNTs exhibit larger cytotoxicity than the longer ones. Moreover, the surface functionalization of MWCNTs with CS–FA NPs improves the transfection efficiency and decreases the cytotoxicity as well. Under optimal conditions, the pEGFP-N1 transfection efficiency of MWCNT-CS–FA NPs is about 4.1%, being 1.5 times as large as that of the non-functionalized MWCNTs. The MWCNT-CS–FA NPs show little effect on the cellular viability when the concentration is up to 250 μg mL−1. By optimal length control and surface functionalization, MWCNTs should have good applications in gene delivery vectors.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide