Fullerene mediates proliferation and cardiomyogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells via modulation of MAPK pathway and cardiac protein expression

Zero-dimensional fullerenes can modulate the biological behavior of a variety of cell lines. However, the effects and molecular mechanisms of proliferation and cardiomyogenic differentiation in brown adipose-derived stem cells (BADSCs) are still unclear. In this study, we report the initial biological effects of fullerene-C(60) on BADSCs at different concentrations. Results suggest that fullerene-C(60) has no cytotoxic effects on BADSCs even at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. Fullerene-C(60) improves the MAPK expression level and stem cell survival, proliferation, and cardiomyogenesis. Further, we found that the fullerene-C(60) modulates cardiomyogenic differentiation. Fullerene-C(60) improves the expression of cardiomyocyte-specific proteins (cTnT and α-sarcomeric actinin). At elevated concentration, fullerene-C(60) reduces the incidence of diminished spontaneous cardiac differentiation of BADSCs with time. At the genetic level, fullerene-C(60) (5 μg/mL) also improves the expression of cTnT. In addition, fullerene-C(60) promotes the formation of gap junction among cells. These findings have important implications for clinical application of fullerenes in the treatment of myocardial infarction.