ИСТИНА

Carbon and boron nitride nanomaterials nowadays are among the most studied and de- manded for industrial applications novel materials. Numerous promising applications of these structures in high-technology and even everyday life devices and objects have been proposed and realized. A row of studies of nanotubes toxicity and action on biological objects have been performed in recent years [e.g.1]. However, there is no single opinion on harm or benefit of these structures on living objects. In this study we present our results on nanotubes action on living bacterial cells. In our previous studies we have demonstrated that after Escherichia coli bacterial cells deposition on a mat of single-wall carbon nanotubes, the cells structure was disturbed. In the present study we present our further results in this field. We have analyzed the bactericidal action of carbon and boron nitride nanotubes in aqueous suspensions. We have registered morphological changes and cell division rates modification. In our experiments we have employed luminescent bacterial cells. It permitted us to monitor the action of nanostructures on the bacterial cells at short time intervals.