Electron microscopic study of the effect of fullerene on the formation of amyloid fibrils by the Aβ25–35 peptide

Abstract

The anti-amyloidogenic capacity of hydrated fullerene C60 HyFn was revealed by the use of electron microscopy. We first showed that when, connecting with growing amyloid fibrils formed by A beta(25-35)-peptide, fullerene prevented their subsequent growth and interfered with the formation of new fibrils. Instead of long helically twisted ribbons formed by A beta(25-35)-peptide in the absence of fullerene, short narrow protofibrils were found in the presence of fullerene . These results allow one to suppose that fullerene can be useful for the therapy of Alzheimer's disease.