Fullerenes as an Effective Amyloid Fibrils Disaggregating Nanomaterial

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Amyloid fibrils are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Understanding amyloid disassembly is crucial for therapeutic development.
• Nanomaterials show potential for targeting amyloid aggregates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the amyloid disassembly activity of fullerene C60 and C70 complexes.
• To explore the mechanism by which fullerenes interact with and break down amyloid fibrils.
• To assess the therapeutic potential of fullerene-based agents for amyloid-related diseases.

Main Methods:

• Thioflavin T fluorescence assay to monitor disaggregation.
• Atomic force microscopy to visualize fibril changes.
• Small-angle neutron scattering to analyze aggregate structure and morphology.

Main Results:

• Fullerene C60 and C70 complexes effectively disassembled preformed amyloid fibrils.
• Low apparent half-maximal disaggregation concentrations (DC50) of ~22-30 μg mL−1 were observed.
• Small-angle neutron scattering provided insights into the stages of the disassembly process.

Conclusions:

• Fullerene/NMP complexes are potent agents for amyloid fibril disassembly.
• A mechanism for fullerene-mediated amyloid disassembly has been proposed.
• This study provides a foundation for engineering macromolecules to combat amyloid diseases.