ABSTRACT
Abstract ................................................................................................. 348 12.1 Targeted Drug Delivery: Where Do We Stand? ......................... 348 12.2 Characteristics and Structure ..................................................... 350 12.3 Merits of CNTs ........................................................................... 352 12.4 Functionalization of CNTs ......................................................... 354 12.5 Covalent Modifications .............................................................. 354 12.6 Noncovalent Modifications ........................................................ 356 12.7 Drug Loading onto CNTs ........................................................... 357 12.8 Uptake Capacity of CNTs .......................................................... 360 12.9 Applications of CNTs as Drug Delivery System ....................... 362 12.10 Recent Patents Related with CNTs as a Drug Delivery System ...372 12.11 Toxicology Profiles of CNTs ..................................................... 373 12.12 Concluding Remarks .................................................................. 376 Keywords .............................................................................................. 377 References ............................................................................................. 377
CEYDA TUBA SENGEL-TURK1 and ONUR ALPTURK2*
1Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ankara University, Turkey
2Department of Chemistry, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak 34469, Istanbul, Turkey
*Corresponding author. E-mail: onur.alpturk@itu.edu.tr
ABSTRACT
Carbon nanotubes offer an alternative and promising platform of drug delivery system due to their distinct and unified physicochemical properties. On the account of its great potential, these nanostructures have been employed as efficient delivery system of many therapeutic active compounds, ranging from antineoplastic agents, cardiovascular drugs, anti-infectives to anti-inflammatory molecules, and genes. In concert with their great promise, this chapter is devoted to the literature of chemistry of carbon nanotubes. Herein, we aim to discuss extensively many aspects of these materials including functionalization, drug loading capacity, and mechanisms. Subsequently, the literature on recent patents is surveyed to shed light on the current status of the field. Lastly, their potential applications as different therapeutic modalities in drug delivery, their toxicology profiles, and the developed strategies to overcome their cytotoxicities are also discussed with a detailed perspective.
