Cellular biological effects of carbon nanomaterials

Carbon nanomaterials include fullerenes, metallofullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and their derivatives. Their novel functions have been well investigated in basic science, and many uses/applications have been reported in the environmental and biomedical fields. Therefore, understanding the processes of their cellular interactions with living cells is of significant importance for exploiting their applications in biomedical fields. In particular, if they could enter the cell, the process of internalization, their localization in intracellular compartments, and their succedent effects on the cellular functions, the current findings for these aspects are summarized in this paper. We aim to provide the basic knowledge for people who are intereted in the development of the biomedical applications of these carbon nanomaterials.