Naravno da je tek početak, ali za razliku od svih dosadašnjih pokušaja koji su uključivali mali milion različitih lekova i terapija ili one koji podrazumevaju korišćenje nanomašina, ovaj princip je iznenađujuće jednostavan. Jedini problem je što je proizvodnja C60 stravično skupa (gram je valjda 1000$) a u prirodi je jako redak.
Sa druge strane, dobar deo naše savremene civilizacije je izgrađen na benzenovom prstenu sa 6 atoma ugljenika. Ovoj alotropskoj modifikaciji sa deset puta više atoma su tek počeli da nalaze primene pa me ne čudi da je neko istraživao da vidi šta će se desiti ako miševima daju čist c60.
Ovo je iz apstrakta
Countless studies showed that [60]fullerene (C60) and derivatives could have many potential biomedical applications. However, while several independent research groups showed that C60 has no acute or sub-acute toxicity in various experimental models, more than 25 years after its discovery the in vivo fate and the chronic effects of this fullerene remain unknown. If the potential of C60 and derivatives in the biomedical field have to be fulfilled these issues must be addressed. Here we show that oral administration of C60 dissolved in olive oil (0.8 mg/ml) at reiterated doses (1.7 mg/kg of body weight) to rats not only does not entail chronic toxicity but it almost doubles their lifespan. The effects of C60-olive oil solutions in an experimental model of CCl4 intoxication in rat strongly suggest that
the effect on lifespan is mainly due to the attenuation of age-associated increases in oxidative stress. Pharmacokinetic studies show that dissolved C60 is absorbed by the gastro-intestinal tract and eliminated in a few tens of hours. These results of importance in the fields of medicine and toxicology should open the way for the many possible -and waited for- biomedical applications of C60 including cancer therapy, neurodegenerative disorders, and ageing.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/s.../article/pii/S0142961212003237
U prevodu, c60 pomaže telu da ucmeka višak slobodnih radikala koje samo ne može da neutrališe sopstvenim odbrambenim mehanizmima a efekat traje nekoliko desetina sati.