Instability of C60 fullerene interacting with lipid bilayer

Due to the large number of possible applications of nanoparticles in cosmetic and medical products, the possible hazards of nanoparticles in the human body are a major concern. A worst-case scenario is that nanoparticles might cause health issues such as skin damage or even induce cancer. As a first step to study the toxicity of nanoparticles, we investigate the energy behaviour of a C₆₀ fullerene interacting with a lipid bilayer. Using the 6–12 Lennard-Jones potential function and the continuous approximation, the equilibrium spacing between the two layers of a bilayer is predicted to be 3.36 ?. On assuming that there is a circular hole in the lipid bilayer, a relation for the molecular interaction energy is determined, involving the circular radius b of the hole and the perpendicular distance Z of the spherical fullerene from the hole. A graph of the minimum energy location Z _min verses the hole radius b shows that a C₆₀ fullerene first penetrates through a lipid bilayer when b > 6.81 ?, and shows a simple circular relation \textZ_min² + b² = 6.81² {\text{Z}}_{{\min }}^2 + {b^{{2}}} = {6}.{8}{{1}^{{2}}} for Z _min positive and b ≤ 6.81 ?. For b > 6.81, the fullerene relocates from the surface of the bilayer to the interior, and as the hole radius increases further it moves to the centre of the bilayer and remains there for increasing hole radii. Accordingly, our modelling indicates that at least for the system with no external forces, the C₆₀ fullerene will not penetrate through the lipid bilayer but rather remains encased between the two layers at the mid-plane location.     

Antiamyloid properties of fullerene C60 derivatives

A comparative estimation of the ability of complexes of fullerene C60 with polyvinylpyrrolidone and fullerene C60 derivatives (the sodium salt of the polycarboxylic derivative of fullerene C60, sodium fullerenolate), has been carried out. The fullerenes destroyed amyloid fibrils of the Abeta(1-42) peptide of the brain and the muscle X-protein. A study of the effect of fullerenes on muscle actin showed that complexes of fullerene C60 with polyvinylpyrrolidone and sodium fullerenolate did not prevent the filament formation of actin, nor did they destroy its filaments in vitro. Conversely, sodium salt of the polycarboxylic derivative of fullerene C60 destroyed actin filaments and prevented their formation. It was concluded that sodium fullerenolate and complexes of fullerene C60 with polyvinylpyrrolidone are the most effective antiamyloid compounds among the fullerenes examined.     

Interaction between epoxidised estradiol and fullerene (C60): possible anticancer activity

In this article, the antioxidant activity of fullerene is theoretically studied by applying the density functional theory (DFT) method in terms of its protective effects against the derivatives of estrone that constitute species known to exhibit carcinogenic activity. Several reactions involving fullerene C₆₀ in different possible reactive centres of estradiol and epoxidised estradiol were studied. Surprisingly, the ring that supports the epoxide group is able to react with fullerene by means of a 2+2 cycloaddition, forming a very stable compound. This new compound has the potential to avoid known reactions between the epoxidised molecule and DNA fragments causing the mutagenic process of breast cancer. Therefore, fullerene C₆₀ represents the possibility of a new agent for combating this disease.     

Permeation of skin with (C60) fullerene dispersions

Dispersions in transcutol/isopropyl myristate make C₆₀ fullerene molecules suitable for transdermal delivery. We found that C₆₀ can successfully permeate the skin using pig skin in Franz diffusion cells. Molecular dynamics simulations and transmission electron microscopy confirmed these observations. Basic cosmetic formulations with transcutol/isopropyl myristate without harsh organic solvents show a high potential for delivery of C₆₀ for biopharmaceutical and cosmetics applications.     

Protein interaction with hydrated C60 fullerene in aqueous solutions

Physicochemical effects of hydrated C(60) fullerenes (HyFn) on serum albumin molecules were studied using ESR spin labeling and differential scanning microcalorimetry. Molecular-colloidal solution of hydrated C(60) fullerenes and their small spherical fractal clusters in water (C(60)FWS), was shown to stabilize protein hydration, and decrease specific surface energy in water-protein matrix in salt solutions. The mechanism of HyFn interaction with protein is discussed in terms of HyFn induced formation of protein clusters and phase transition of hydration water.     

Study of cytotoxicity of fullerene C60 derivatives

We investigated the cytotoxicity of the fullerene C₆₀ derivatives. We showed that complexes of C₆₀ fullerene with polyvinylpyrrolidone (m.w. of polyvinylpyrrolidone 10000 and 25000), C₆₀-NO₂-proline and C₆₀-alanine had no toxic effect on HEp-2 cells. Sodium salt of polycarboxylic derivative of fullerene C₆₀ exerted a pronounced toxic effect on this cell culture.     

Autophagy-mediated chemosensitization in cancer cells by fullerene C60 nanocrystal

Autophagy may represent a common cellular response to nanomaterials, and modulation of autophagy holds great promise for improving the efficacy of cancer therapy. Fullerene C60 possesses potent anti-cancer activities, but its considerable toxicity towards normal cells may hinder its practical applications. It has been reported that fullerene C60 induces certain hallmarks of autophagy in cancer cells. Here we show that the water-dispersed nanocrystal of underivatized fullerene C60 (Nano-C60) at non-cytotoxic concentrations caused authentic autophagy and sensitized chemotherapeutic killing of both normal and drug-resistant cancer cells in a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent and photo-enhanced fashion. We further demonstrated that the chemosensitization effect of Nano-C60 was autophagy-mediated and required a functional Atg5, a key gene in the autophagy signaling pathway. Our results revealed a novel biological function for Nano-C60 in enhancing the cytotoxic action of chemotherapeutic agents through autophagy modulation and may point to the potential application of Nano-C60 in adjunct chemotherapy.     

A biologically effective fullerene (C60) derivative with superoxide dismutase mimetic properties

Superoxide, a potentially toxic by-product of cellular metabolism, may contribute to tissue injury in many types of human disease. Here we show that a tris-malonic acid derivative of the fullerene C60 molecule (C3) is capable of removing the biologically important superoxide radical with a rate constant (k(C3)) of 2 x 10(6) mol(-1) s(-1), approximately 100-fold slower than the superoxide dismutases (SOD), a family of enzymes responsible for endogenous dismutation of superoxide. This rate constant is within the range of values reported for several manganese-containing SOD mimetic compounds. The reaction between C3 and superoxide was not via stoichiometric "scavenging," as expected, but through catalytic dismutation of superoxide, indicated by lack of structural modifications to C3, regeneration of oxygen, production of hydrogen peroxide, and absence of EPR-active (paramagnetic) products, all consistent with a catalytic mechanism. A model is proposed in which electron-deficient regions on the C60 sphere work in concert with malonyl groups attached to C3 to electrostatically guide and stabilize superoxide, promoting dismutation. We also found that C3 treatment of Sod2(-/-) mice, which lack expression of mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), increased their life span by 300%. These data, coupled with evidence that C3 localizes to mitochondria, suggest that C3 functionally replaces MnSOD, acting as a biologically effective SOD mimetic.     

Apoptosis photoinduction by C60 fullerene in human leukemic T cells

The viability of normal (Wistar rat thymocytes) and transformed (human leukemia Jurkat cells) T cells after UV/Vis irradiation in the presence of pristine C60 fullerene was studied. The data obtained have shown that C60 fullerene exhibits cytotoxic effect against transformed T lymphocytes when combined with UV/Vis irradiation using mercury-vapor lamp (320-600 nm). C60 fullerene photocytotoxicity was not detected in thymocytes. C60-dependent photoinduced apoptosis of Jurkat cells was confirmed by DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activation. No substantial increase of caspase-3 activation was observed in thymocytes treated with C60 fullerene plus irradiation, while antileukemic agent cytosine arabinoside was shown to induce caspase-3 activation both in Jurkat cells and thymocytes. The data obtained may be useful for development of photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy with selective action on leukemia cells.     

Self assembly of amphiphilic C60 fullerene derivatives into nanoscale supramolecular structures

Background  

The amphiphilic fullerene monomer (AF-1) consists of a "buckyball" cage to which a Newkome-like dendrimer unit and five lipophilic C₁₂ chains positioned octahedrally to the dendrimer unit are attached. In this study, we report a novel fullerene-based liposome termed 'buckysome' that is water soluble and forms stable spherical nanometer sized vesicles. Cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies were used to characterize the different supra-molecular structures readily formed from the fullerene monomers under varying pH, aqueous solvents, and preparative conditions.     

Interaction of hepatitis C virus proteins with host cell membranes and lipids

For replication, viruses depend on specific components and energy supplies from the host cell. The main steps in the lifecycle of positive-strand RNA viruses depend on cellular membranes. Interest is increasing in studying the interactions between host cell membranes and viral proteins to understand how such viruses replicate their genome and produce infectious particles. These studies should also lead to a better knowledge of the different mechanisms underlying membrane-protein associations. The various molecular interactions of hepatitis C virus proteins with the membranes and lipids of the infected cell highlight how a virus can exploit the diversity of interactions that occur between proteins and membranes or lipid structures.     

Study of the neuroprotective action of hybrid structures based on fullerene C60

The neuroprotective action of hybrid structures based on fullerene C₆₀ with attached proline amino acid has been studied. Hybrid structures contained natural antioxidant carnosine or addends with one or two nitrate groups. It has been shown that all studied compounds had antioxidant activity and decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde in homogenates of the rat brain. Compound I, which contained the antioxidant carnosine, has been found to be the most effective antioxidant. All compounds except IV and V inhibited the activity of monoamine oxidase B, while compounds I–IV increased the activity of monoamine oxidase A. All investigated compounds inhibited glutamate-induced Ca²⁺ uptake into synaptosomes of the rat brain cortex. Compound III, containing two nitrate groups, has been found to be the most effective inhibitor. This compound caused a significant increase of the currents of AMPA receptors (AMPA, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid).     

Possibility of biocompatibility of fullerene C60 with oligopeptides using a comparative analysis of their spatial form

It was proposed to elucidate the mechanism of unique biological biocompatibility of carbon materials used for making endoprostheses for medicinal practice. For this purpose, a method of comparing the geometry of individual globular and fibrillar proteins and carbon structures (fullerenes) was advanced, and a comparative analysis of the spatial structure of fullerene C60 and the amino acid sequences of 286 proteins was made. Based on a high degree of similarity in the positions of atoms of the polypeptide chains of proteins and peptides and the corresponding atoms of fullerene and of other structural parameters revealed by the comparison of the spatial structures using mathematical simulation, the phenomenon of biological compatibility was interpreted as an "insertion" of fullerenes into the structure of protein molecules in place of structurally similar amino acid sequences, i.e., as a "prosthetics" at the molecular level. It is proposed that fullerenes can "simulate" structurally similar short peptides in biological processes. It was shown that noncarbon biogenic atoms play a large role in the formation of specific structure of protein molecules.     

Fully exohydrogenated Si60 fullerene cage

Using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory, we demonstrate that Si₆₀ fullerene cage can be stabilized by exohydrogenated method. In contrast to previous theoretical studies that Si₆₀ fullerene geometry construction will be seriously distorted when it is bare or encapsulated by metal atom clusters, exohydrogenated scheme shows that Si₆₀H₆₀ cage will be able to keep perfect fullerene structure similar to C₆₀.     

Cage opening and fragmentation of C60 fullerene induced by an ultrashort laser pulse

Response of C₆₀ fullerene to a 40 fs full-width at half-maximum laser pulse with a photon energy of 2.0 eV and different laser intensities is studied by semiclassical dynamics simulation technique. The simulation results show that soon after the irradiation with a strong laser pulse, many C–C bonds abruptly break but no fragments are produced. The breaking of multiple C–C bonds induces a quick increase in the kinetic energy and potential energy and a decrease in electronic energy. These results suggest that the opening of the C₆₀ cage is an effective channel for the conversion of electronic energy to kinetic energy for the electronically excited C₆₀ fullerene.     

Interaction of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin with membrane lipids

The interaction of the recombinant hemoglobin from Vitreoscilla sp. (VHb) with the bacterial membrane of Escherichia coli cells has been investigated by measuring the propensity of VHb to interact with monolayers formed by natural bacterial phosholipids. The measurements showed that the protein is capable of penetrating the monolayers, possibly establishing interactions with the hydrophobic acyl chains. VHb is also capable of binding reversibly phospholipids and free fatty acids in solution with a strong selectivity toward cyclopropanated acyl chain species. Lipid binding occurs within the distal heme pocket as demonstrated by a sharp UV-vis spectral change corresponding to a five-coordinate to six-coordinate transition of the heme-iron ferric derivative. Oxygen binding properties are affected by the presence of the lipid component within the active site. In particular, the oxygen affinity is decreased by more than 20-fold in the presence of cyclopropanated phospholipids. The kinetic counterpart of the decrease in oxygen affinity is manifest in a 10-fold decrease in the ligand combination kinetics. Accordingly, the CO and NO combination kinetics were also significantly affected by the presence of the bound lipid within the active site. These studies indicate that the current functional hypotheses about VHb should take into account the association of the protein within the cytoplasmic membrane as well as the presence of a phospholipid within the active site. These data suggest a possible lipid-induced regulation of oxygen affinity as the basis of VHb functioning.     

First-principles vdW-DF investigation on the interaction between the oxazepam molecule and C60 fullerene

The interaction between oxazepam and C₆₀ fullerene was explored using first-principles vdW-DF calculations. It was found that oxazepam binds weakly to the fullerene cage via its carbonyl group. The binding of oxazepam to C₆₀ is affected drastically by nonlocal dispersion interactions, while vdW forces affect the corresponding geometries only a little. Furthermore, aqueous solution affects the geometries of the oxazepam approaching to fullerene slightly, while oxazepam binds slightly farther away from the nanocage. The results presented provide evidence for the applicability of the vdW-DF method and serve as a practical benchmark for the investigation of host–guest interactions in biological systems.