Glial Cell Colony Injured on Exposure to Fullerene Soot Nanoparticles

Abstract

An expansion in the field of nanotechnology and their applications in medicine and pharmaceuticals have revolutionized the 20th century. Principally it deals with particles exhibiting a size below 100nm at least in a single dimension. Various fields that gain application potentials of nanotechnology include health and medicine, electronics, energy and environment, space research, etc. Advancements in experimental techniques have to lead to the development of multi functionalized nanoparticles like fullerenes, which is one of the allotropic forms of carbon. Fullerene was initially fabricated by laser ablation of graphite in an inert atmosphere. The crude early form consists of a mixture of interlocked carbon cages in its impure version, referred to as fullerene soot. Nature gets exposed to fullerene soot from a cluster of sources, including vehicle, industrial, and other household exhausts. An increasing level of exposure requires toxicity evaluation of such materials in biological systems. Present study addresses in vitro toxicity studies of fullerene soot nanoparticles in C6 glial cells. The study particularly analyzes cell viability assays, morphological evaluations, organelle functionality analysis, live-dead assays, and nuclear integrity measurement. The study confirms the dose-dependent toxicity of the nanomaterials, which further recommends proper precautions to be taken during exposure occasions.