(P 205) In Vitro Biocompatibility of Plain and Doped Nanowires

The unique capabilities of one dimensional nanomaterials, them potential candidates for catalysts, biological and biosensors, drug carrier systems and even tissue engineering applications. However, interactions of nanomaterials with biological systems and the environment could lead to side effects. While there have been reports on the cytotoxicity of carbon nanotubes, quantum dots and gold nanoparticles, not so many studies have yet appeared on the biological effects of silicon nanowires, which are becoming increasingly important as a nanostructure. Also, Si nanowires have advantages over polycrystalline metals and most importantly, the degradation products of Si nanomaterials, principally in the form of Si(OH) sub(4) are metabolically tolerant in vivo. In this study, cytotoxic behaviors of doped and plain Si nanowires were investigated for possible biomedical use. The plain and doped Si nanowires were synthesized via gold catalyzed CVD method. For investigation the biocompatibility of the materials, MTT viability, cell proliferation, PI/AO staining and blood biocompatibility tests were performed. According to these standard tests, there were no significant cytotoxic effects for both the plain and dopped silicon nanowires. Cells have shown quite high viability as above 80% within 48hrs for both types of nanowires. Also, these nanostructures have shown no considerable negative blood response with respect to control group. Therefore, it was concluded that these plain and doped nanowires can be used for medical applications safely.