C60 fullerene: A powerful antioxidant or a damaging agent? The importance of an in-depth material characterization prior to toxicity assays

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 157; no. 4; pp. 1134 - 1139
• Main Authors: Spohn, P, Hirsch, C, Hasler, F, Bruinink, A, Krug, H.F, Wick, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier 01-04-2009
• Subjects: animal models; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; antioxidants; Antioxidants - chemistry; Antioxidants - toxicity; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; carbon; Cytotoxins - chemistry; Cytotoxins - toxicity; Daphnia; Daphnia magna; Ecotoxicology - methods; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; epithelial cells; Fullerenes - chemistry; Fullerenes - toxicity; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Furans; General aspects; Humans; in vitro culture; lungs; Materials Testing; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; nanotechnology; nanotoxicity; oxidative stress; respiratory system; Solutions; toxicity testing; Toxicity Tests, Acute; Ecotoxicology; Nanoparticle; Toxicity; Cladocera; Environmental factor; Ultrafine particle; Antioxidant; In vitro; Depth; Crustacea; Characterization; Nanoparticles; Nanotoxicity; Arthropoda; Aerosols; Fullerenes; Environment; Air pollution; Invertebrata; Branchiopoda; Daphnia magna
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2008.08.013

Since the discovery of fullerenes in 1985, these carbon nanospheres have attracted attention regarding their physico/chemical properties. Despite little knowledge about their impact on the environment and human health, the production of fullerenes has already reached an industrial scale. However, the toxicity of C60 is still controversially discussed. The aim of this study was to clarify the biological effects of tetrahydrofuran (THF) suspended C60 fullerene in comparison to water stirred C60 fullerene suspensions. Beyond that, we analyzed the effects on the Crustacea Daphnia magna an indicator for ecotoxicological effects and the human lung epithelial cell line A549 as a simplified model for the respiratory tract. We could demonstrate that water-soluble side products which were formed in THF nC60 suspension were responsible for the observed acute toxic effects, whereas fullerenes themselves had no negative effect regardless of the preparative route on either A549 cell in vitro or D. magna in vivo. THF suspended nC60 did not show any toxic effect to Daphnia and lung cells when side products were eliminated by additional washing steps.