Gd@C82-(ethylenediamine)8 Nanoparticle: A New High-Efficiency Water -Soluble ROS Scavenger

It is important to maintain a reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance in organisms; thus, a valid ROS scavenger with good biocompatibility is urgently required. To prepare a high-efficiency ROS scavenger, multiple ethylenediamine (EDA) groups are bonded for the first time to a metallofullerene Gd@C-82 to obtain water-soluble Gd@C-82-(EDA)(8) nanoparticles (NPs) through a facile solid liquid reaction. Gd@C-82-(EDA)(8) NPs with a relatively better conjugation possess an excellent capability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals. Moreover, Gd@C-82-(EDA)(8) NPs exhibited a remarkable cytoprotective effect against H2O2-induced injuries to human epidermal keratinocytes-adult (HEK-a) cells at a low concentration of 2.5 mu M. In contrast, Gd@C-82-(OH)(26) NPs that modified with hydroxyls show an apparent protective effect at a much higher concentration of 40 mu M. This outstanding cytoprotective performance of Gd@C-82-(EDA)(8) NPs is mainly attributed to their extremely high cellular uptake and comparably strong conjugation. Gd@C-82-(EDA)(8) NPs with good biocompatibility exhibit excellent ROS scavenging capability even at a significantly low concentration, which promotes its versatile applications in cosmetics and biomedicine.