Boron nitride nanotubes: production, properties, biological interactions and potential applications as therapeutic agents in brain diseases

While in the latest years carbon nanotubes have found wide exploitation in nanomedicine, to date biomedical applications of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are almost totally unexplored. BNNTs are structural analogues of carbon nanotubes: alternating B and N atoms entirely substitute for C atoms in a graphitic-like sheet, with almost no change in atomic spacing. Despite this structural similarity, BNNTs present superior chemical and physical properties that render them more amenable for a plenty of applications in the biomedical field. In this review, we summarize the major findings of the studies about the interactions between BNNTs and living matter, with special attention on the potential applications to the neuronal system, which range from the treatment of neuronal diseases, to the stimulation of neurons, up to the exploitation of BNNTs as structural reinforcement agents for tissue engineering.