The Effect of Polyhydroxy Fullerene Derivative on Human Myeloid Leukemia K562 Cells

The use of nanomedicines for cancer treatment has been widespread. Fullerenes have significant effects in the treatment of solid tumors. Here, we are going to study the effects of hydroxylated fullerene C(60)(OH)(n)(n = 18–22) treatment on chronic myeloid leukemia cell proliferation and investigate its toxicity. The results showed that hydroxylated fullerene C(60)(OH)(n) (n = 18–22) at low concentrations (less than 120 μM) not only had apparent toxic side effects, but also promoted the growth of K562 cells, while a high concentration of C(60)(OH)(n) had different degrees of inhibition on K562 cells. When the concentration is higher than 160 μM, the K562 cells showed morphological changes, the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased, the cell cycle was blocked in the stage of G2-phase, and cell apoptosis occurred, which may cause apoptosis, autophagy, and a variety of other damage leading to cell death. Meanwhile, it also indicated that its inhibition of solid tumors might be related to the tumor microenvironment; we verified the safety of fullerene without apparent cellular toxicity at a specific concentration.