Uptake of Carbon-Based Nanoparticles by Mammalian Cells and Plants

Over the past decade, efforts have been made toward understanding and predicting the fate of nanomaterials in biological systems and, quite recently, in the environment. The motivations for making such efforts are twofold. First, it is desirable to utilize the unique physiochemical properties of nanomaterials for implementing new applications of nanotechnology,primarily within the realms of biosensing and nanomedicine. Second, it has become apparent that the safe development of nanotechnology must be guided by research on the fate of nanoparticles in living systems. It is estimated that a few thousand tons of engineered nanomaterials are currently produced each year, and over 600 consumer products on the market are related to or derived from nanotechnology. Conceivably, these engineered nanomaterials will eventually be discharged into the ecological systems comprising water, air, soil, and, most importantly, the dynamic food chains that are intimately related to human health.