Gadofullerene Nanocrystals: A Robust, High-Efficiency Myelosuppressive Protector in Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is the current frontline method for cancer treatment, while the severe systemic side effects (e.g., myelosuppression) limit its application because it generates excessive reactive oxygen species. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop effective strategies for radiotherapy protection. Here, we explored a robust myelosuppressive protector using gadofullerene nanocrystals (GFNCs) to protect mice against radiation injury, which was induced by different doses of X-rays (3, 4.5, and 6 Gy). Our data show that the radiotherapy-induced myelosuppression was remarkably reduced by the high radical scavenging abilities of GFNCs. In addition, GFNCs could normalize the oxidative stress-related indexes, such as malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT). Of note, GFNCs provided protection of the bone marrow in tumor-bearing mice without interfering with the antitumor properties of radiotherapy. Thus, GFNCs may play a promising role in radioprotection during radiotherapy.