© 2003 Robert A. Freitas Jr. All Rights Reserved.

Robert A. Freitas Jr., Nanomedicine, Volume IIA: Biocompatibility, Landes Bioscience, Georgetown, TX, 2003

15.5.5.3 Mechanical Interactions with Leukocytes

Nanorobots must also be mechanically compatible with white blood cells (WBCs) or leukocytes, a group of blood cells that includes both granulocytes (neutrophils, basophils and eosinophils) and agranulocytes (monocytes and lymphocytes). Many interactions between nanorobots and neutrophils or other phagocytes have already been described at length in Section 15.4.3. Possible mechanically pathological interactions uniquely involving medical nanorobots and leukocytes may include nanorobotic mechanical leukocytolysis (Section 15.5.5.3.1), unintentional modulation of white cell membrane fluctuations (Section 15.5.5.3.2), interference with leukocyte margination and migration (Section 15.5.5.3.3) and interference with leukocyte aggregation (Section 15.5.5.3.4). The possibility that nanorobots or their errant parts could trigger an unwanted enzyme release from human phagocytes (nanosecretagoguery) is briefly discussed in Section 15.4.4.

Last updated on 30 April 2004