Cytotoxicity and internalization analysis of silicon nanowires in Buffalo Green Monkey cells: a preliminary study to evaluate the possibility of carrying viruses inside the cells

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are attractive functional nanomaterials for biomedical applications. The ability to easily tune their size and density, potential biocompatibility; and knowledge of the chemical activation of SiNWs surface make them natural tools to interact with biological materials. We evaluated the possibility of exploiting SiNWs as carriers to introduce organic compounds into cells. The cellular toxicity and the internalization capacity of free-standing and label-free SiNWs were tested on Buffalo Green Monkey cells (BGM). Confocal fluorescent observation of SiNWs conjugated with fluorescein-polyethylene imine (PEI) confirmed the internalization of the NWs into the Buffalo Green Monkey Cells (BGM).