The current data on nanoparticles and pleura.

Nanoparticle is the general name given to particles with a size between 0.1 nm and 100 nm. Carbon nanotubes, which have been the focus of many studies recently, are a new type of technological crystal carbon, having specific physical and chemical properties and being used in a wide array of fields from electronics to medicine. To date, the effects of carbon nanotubes over various organs including the lungs have been investigated by many studies, while their influence on pleura has been analyzed only by a limited number of animal and in vitro studies. The current data on the effects of nanoparticles and particularly carbon nanotubes to pleura is reviewed in this article.