Fig. 1

Characterization of CNT–peptide conjugate and its uptake by the macrophage cellls. Characterization of conjugation of CNT and LL-37 using a isothermal calorimetry, b UV–visible spectroscopy, c binding isotherm plot, d FT-IR spectrum. Uptake studies of Cy3 labeled free (f) and CNT–conjugated peptide (g) by THP-1 cells using confocal microscopy following 2 h of treatment. Untreated unlabelled control image is shown in e. Kinetics of gene expression of a few innate immune genes in THP-1 cells following treatment with free LL-37 at 20 μg/ml (h) and CNT–LL37 at 0.02 μg/ml (i). Error bars shown are representative of ±1 SD