Stabilizing effects of hydrated fullerenes C₆₀ in a wide range of concentrations on luciferase, alkaline phosphatase, and peroxidase in vitro

Abstract

Hydrated fullerene (HyFnC₆₀) is a highly hydrophilic supra-molecular complex consisting of unmodified С₆₀ fullerene molecule enclosed into a hydrated shell. It has been shown in numerous experiments that aqueous solutions of HyFnC₆₀ manifest a wide range of biological activities both in vivo and in vitro even at very low concentrations of HyFnC₆₀. We used a spectrophotometric method and a method of biochemoluminescence to demonstrate that HyFnC₆₀ in concentrations below 10⁻⁹M down to 10⁻²³M stabilizes peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, and bacterial luciferase against inactivation due to long-term incubation of the enzymes at room temperature and also against heat inactivation. In addition, HyFnC60 was able to “revive” heat inactivated enzymes. These effects cannot be explained by the direct action of the fullerene molecules upon the enzymes. We suggest that the effects of HyFnC₆₀ on the enzymes are related to the ability of hydrated fullerene C₆₀ molecules to organize thick aqueous shells around them. One of the specific properties of water phase in these shells is its ability to optimize redox reactions, which can support enzyme stability against factors deteriorating their structure.

• C₆₀
• enzymes
• fullerene
• hydrated fullerene
• redox reactions
• ultra-low concentrations
• water

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Prof. A. J. Izmailov and G. V. Andrievsky who provided essential reagents for the study. We would like to thank K. N. Novikov and Do Mihn Ha for making useful suggestions.

Declaration of interest

The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest. Authors declare that this study received no funding.