Water-Soluble, Alanine-Modified Fullerene C(60) Promotes the Proliferation and Neuronal Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells

As carbon-based nanomaterials, water-soluble C(60) derivatives have potential applications in various fields of biomedicine. In this study, a water-soluble fullerene C(60) derivative bearing alanine residues (Ala-C(60)) was synthesized. The effects of Ala-C(60) on neural stem cells (NSCs) as seed cells were explored. Ala-C(60) can promote the proliferation of NSCs, induce NSCs to differentiate into neurons, and inhibit the migration of NSCs. Most importantly, the Ala-C(60) can significantly increase the cell viability of NSCs treated with hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). The glutathioneperoxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and glutathione (GSH) content increased significantly in NSCs treated even by 20 μM Ala-C(60). These findings strongly indicate that Ala-C(60) has high potential to be applied as a scaffold with NSCs for regeneration in nerve tissue engineering for diseases related to the nervous system.