Internalization and Viability Studies of Suspended Nanowire Silicon Chips in HeLa Cells

Here, we propose the integration of silicon nanowires on cell internalizable chips in order to combine the functional features of both approaches. The cellular uptake in HeLa cells of silicon 3 µm × 3 µm nanowire-based chips, and the results were compared with those of non-nanostructured silicon chips. Chip internalization without affecting cell viability was achieved however, important cell behavior differences were observed. The first stage of cell internalization was favored by silicon nanowire interfaces with respect to bulk silicon. In addition, chips were found inside membrane vesicles, and some nanowires seemed to penetrate the cytosol, which opens the door to the development of silicon nanowire chips as future intracellular sensors and drug delivery systems.
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(5), 893