Hyperthermal Effect of Infrared Irradiation on Aqueous Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes and Their Penetration Into Drosophila melanogaster Larvae

Dispersions of chemically modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are investigated by interacting of near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation power of 500 mW to determine the efficiency of heating. The resulting dispersions with modified CNTs are fed into the larva of Drosophila melanogaster, containing green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter whose expression (synthesis of protein) is activated by hsp70 promoter. After NIR irradiation, it is found that organs of larvae gave GFP signal. The presence of a signal is associated with heating of organs to the heat shock temperature due to CNTs penetration. Thus, the experiment provides validation that nanotubes can penetrate into living Drosophila body. It is shown that the CNTs length and modification affect the penetration efficiency.