AFM investigations of fullerene interactions with cell membranes and supported lipid assemblies

G.A. Montaño, R. Iyer, H-L Wang, A.P. Shreve
Los Alamos National Laboratory, US

Keywords: fullerenes, membranes, nanotoxic, atomic force microscopy, AFM

Abstract:

In this study, we used in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) to visualize the interaction of a systematically functionalized series of fullerenes with both THP-1 cellular membrane fragments and lipid bilayer assemblies (LBA) of various compositions. . Results suggest various mechanisms in which fullerenes may interact with membrane architectures and elicit various responses. Results were evaluated as a function of fullerene physical, chemical and electrical properties, providing evidence toward developing predictive models for biological effects of nanomaterials.