ASSESSING RESPONSE TO C_(60) FULLERENE IN THE YEAST SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE AND E. COLI

摘要

The increasing use of nanomaterials in industrial processes and in commercial products is expected to lead to an accumulation of these materials in the environment. Because the environmental and toxicological consequences are unclear, it is important that studies be undertaken to examine the potential risks (Colvin, 2003). A number of studies have documented the biological effects of fullerenes and their derivatives. For example, DNA hydrolyzing activity (Nakamura et al., 1996), cytotoxicity to mammalian cell lines (Irie et al., 1996; Yang et al., 2002) and inhibitory activity towards enzymes (Friedman et al., 1993; Ueng et al., 1997; 1999; Wolff et al., 2002) have been reported. Tsao et al. (2002) examined the toxicity of carboxyfullerene towards 20 different bacteria, reporting minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimal bacteriocidal concentrations. The growth protocol involved exposing cells in LB or similar rich media containing protein. MIC concentrations ranged from 5 to 50 mg/l for the Gram positive bacteria. The Gram negative bacteria including E. coli were not found to be inhibited at the highest concentration tested, 500 mg/l. These authors also demonstrated membrane damage in two Gram positive bacteria. The size of the nanoparticle aggregates was not determined.