Fig. 10 | Nature Communications

Fig. 10

From: Single-walled carbon-nanohorns improve biocompatibility over nanotubes by triggering less protein-initiated pyroptosis and apoptosis in macrophages

Fig. 10

Schematic of cell death mechanisms induced by SNH and CNT. Nanocarbons interacted with test cells in assemblies and internalized through phagocytosis pathway. GPNMB was found with high affinity to nanocarbons, which strengthened the nano-membrane interaction, initiated lysosome stress, induced the leakage of hydrolases, triggered the activation of pyroptosis and extrinsic apoptosis pathways, and finally led to the death of macrophages. Distinctively, the less cellular uptake, lower nano-protein interaction, and moderate membrane disturbance endowed SNH with hypotoxicity, predicting a promising future for the potential biomedical applications for SNH. SNH single-walled carbon nanohorns, MNT multiple-walled carbon nanotubes, SNT single-walled carbon nanotubes, GPNMB glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B, CASP-1/3/8/9 caspase-1/3/8/9, NLRs Nod-like receptors, RIP1/3 receptor-interacting protein kinase 1/3, Bcl-2 B cell lymphoma‑2, Bak apoptosis regulator BAK, PARP poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, MLKL mixed lineage kinase domain-like, GSH glutathione, ROS reactive oxygen species, VDAC mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel, NOX NADPH oxidase

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