Nanotubes Do Not Affect Fertility

For the past few years, the field of nanotechnology has been experiencing a massive rise in popularity among scientists. Advancements made thus far are beginning to catch up with old science fiction books, and yet there are still some concerns holding research back. One of these issues is determining the extent of the damage that a potential nanoparticle infection could have on the human body. In a recent series of experiments, researchers found that there is nothing to worry about. However, the tests were only conducted on unsuspecting lab rats, Chemistry World reports.

The team behind the work says that injecting nanoscale particles into the rodents did indeed have some negative repercussions on components of the reproductive system. Still, the members add that the damage which came to the testes proved to be completely reversible. They say that even the worst affected male mice were still able to produce offspring, which means that their fertility was not permanently damaged. The conclusions are extremely significant, given that nanoparticles are heralded as the future of targeted medicine.

These structures, which can be forged into a variety of shapes and sizes, and for a wide array of applications, have tremendous potential in underlying a new type of drug delivery. Cages made at the nanoscale could enclose proteins or other chemicals that would otherwise be attacked by the human immune system before reaching their targets (tumors, biofilms, etc.). But, before scientists can begin to investigate such prospective techniques in minute details, they need to know that injecting these particles into humans will not affect their bodies irreversibly.

“We revealed effects of carbon nanotubes on male reproductive health at molecular, cellular, organ, and animal levels and provided a solid foundation for defining a safe dose for carbon nanotube use in humans. Our work paves the way for safe development of numerous medicinal applications of carbon nanotubes in terms of male reproductive safety,” explains team leader Bing Yan. He was based at the St Jude's Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tennessee, and he conducted the investigation together with colleagues from China.

“Carbon nanotubes have the potential for a wide range of biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, therefore it is very important to demonstrate any possible health risks. Importantly, the paper demonstrates no effect of surface treated nanotubes on the function of the animal reproductive organs, with respect to normal production of hormones and sperm,” concludes University of Cambridge carbon nanotubes expert Krzysztof Koziol. The conclusions of the research are published in the latest issue of the esteemed scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology.