Magnetic and Biocompatible Fullerenol/Fe(III) Microcapsules with Antioxidant Activities.

Fullerene C (refers to C hereafter) has a unique three-dimensional architecture and intriguing physicochemical properties. It has great potential applications in materials chemistry and life science. However, a big obstacle for the widespread application of C lies in the limited strategies to make supramolecular structures with diverse morphologies and functions. Herein, we report a strategy to prepare C-based, magnetic microcapsules which can be used as external antioxidants to effectively attenuate oxidative stress. The microcapsules are composed of fullerenol, a highly water-soluble C multiadduct, and iron ions (Fe) released from a rusty nail. They can be easily obtained through coordination between the hydrophilic functional groups in fullerenol and Fe with polystyrene microspheres as templates. The fullerenol/Fe microcapsules have good colloidal stability both in water and serum. Their biocompatibility has been confirmed by in vitro tests on HEK293 and Hela cells. Electron spin resonance measurements indicate that the fullerenol/Fe microcapsules can effectively scavenge hydroxyl radicals (OH·) produced by HO, which greatly improves the living environment of the cells. The fullerenol/Fe microcapsules exhibit ferromagnetic properties and can respond to the external magnetic field, enabling magnetic manipulation, and/or separation in practical applications.