The new properties of nanoscale carbon structures were investigated by specialists from the Siberian Federal University and the Institute of Biophysics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, participants in the Research Center “Yeniseiskaya Sibir”. Scientists have concluded that special molecular compounds – fullerenols – can reduce the effect on the human or animal body of small doses of radiation exposure of up to 11.5 X-rays.
Fullerenols are bulk molecules with a carbon backbone, shaped like a soccer ball. These chemical compounds are water-soluble, while retaining their antiradical activity, which allows them to be considered as promising radioprotectors, that is, anti-radiation drugs.
“Fullerenols are artificial agents. Like natural humic substances, fullerenols interact with radionuclides and their decay products and practically “take the hit” on themselves,” said Nadezhda Kudryasheva, one of the authors of the study, Professor of the Department of Biophysics at SibFU.
Studies have shown that the introduction of fullerenols into the body’s cells reduced the content of reactive oxygen species that damage cells. In the future, scientists plan to clarify the mechanism of action of the new radioprotector on the body of bacteria.
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The world-class scientific and Educational Center (REC) “Yenisei Siberia” was established in 2019. It is an interregional association initiated by the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Republics of Khakassia and Tuva. The participants of the REC include 28 scientific and educational organizations and enterprises of the real sector of the economy. During its operation, the Yenisei Siberia Scientific and Educational Center has formed more than 50 comprehensive projects for the development of new technologies, bringing together leading scientific, educational and industrial organizations of the region and the country.
Source: sfu-kras.ru