In vitro Cytotoxicity Studies of Industrially Used Common Nanomaterials on L929 and 3T3 Fibroblast Cells

Abstract

The unique structures and properties of nanomaterials have attracted many engineers and scientists to these resources for different applications, including biomedical, electronics, manufacturing, transportation, energy, and defense. The increasing applications of nanomaterials have also caused some concern among the scientific community about their safety and cytotoxicity. To successfully use nanomaterials in different fields, their interaction with mammalian cells in vitro must be addressed before in vivo experiments can be carried out successfully. In this study, the cytotoxicity values of commonly known nanomaterials, such as 100-ply Carbon Nanotube (CNT) wires, graphene, CNTs, nanoclay, and fullerene, were investigated through in vitro tests on human L929 and mice 3T3 fibroblast cells and compared with each other. The effects of cytotoxicity on both cell types were similar in many ways, but not closely identical due to structural and morphological differences. Compared to mice fibroblast cells, human fibroblast cells have a larger surface area; therefore, the viability values of L929 cells at different dilutions and time durations vary over a larger range. Pristine 100-ply CNT wires were found to be the least cytotoxic, with an average viability of 86.9%, whereas materials with high aspect ratio (e.g., CNTs and graphene) had higher cytotoxicity values due to their potential to pierce through cell membranes.