| This work investigates the modification of biological materials through the applications of modern nanosecond pulsed power, along with other forms of nanotechnologies. The work was initially envisaged as a study of the effect of intense nanosecond pulsed electric fields on cancer cells. As the work progressed, the studies suggested incorporation of additional technologies, in particular, cold plasmas, and carbon nanotubes. The reasons for these are discussed below, however, they were largely suggested by the systems that we were studying, and resulted in new and potentially important medical therapies. Using nanosecond cold plasmas powered with nanosecond pulses, collaboration with endodontists and biofilm experts demonstrated a killing effect on biofilms deep within root canals, suggesting a fundamentally new approach to an ongoing problem of root canal sterilization. This work derived from the application of nanosecond pulsed power, resulting in effective biofilm disinfection, without excessive heating, and is being investigated for additional dental and other medical applications. In the second area, collaboration with medical and nanotube experts, studies of gliomamultiforme (GBM) led to the incorporation of functionalized carbon nanotubes. Single-walled carbon nanotube-fluorescein carbazide (SWCNT-FC) conjugates demonstrated that the entry mechanism of the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was through an energy-dependent endocytotic pathway. Finally, a monotonic pH sensitivity of the intracellular fluorescence emission of SWCNT-FC conjugates in human ovarian cancer cells suggests these conjugates may serve as intracellular pH sensors. Light-stimulated intracellular hydrolysis of the amide linkage and localized intracellular pH changes are proposed as mechanisms. The use of SWCNTs for cancer therapy of gliomas, resulting in hyperthermia effect after 808 nm infrared radiations, absorbed specifically by SWCNTs but not by biological tissue. Heat was only observed to kill cells containing intracellular SWCNTs. Furthermore, intracellular SWCNTs also cause aggregation and clustering of the cells, and a reduced ability of the cells to attach to and migrate over a substrate. This phenomenon has the potential to reduce the multiplication, migration, and invasion of brain cancer cells into the surrounding tissue. |
