Clinical Microbiology: Open Access

The role of low levels of fullerene C60 nanocrystals on enhanced learning and memory of rats through persistent Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activation

Joint Event on 25^th Asia Pacific Biotechnology Congress & 3^rd International Conference on Medical and Clinical Microbiology

May 01-02, 2019 Kyoto, Japan

Ming Wang, Liang Chen, Yanyan Miao, Lin Chen, Jing Xu, Xinxing Wang, Han Zhao, Yi Shen, Yi Hu, Yunpeng Bian, Yuanyuan Shen, Jutao Chen, Yingying Zha and Long-Ping Wen

University of Science and Technology of China, China

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Clin Microbiol

Abstract:

Introduction & Aim: Engineered nanomaterials are known to exhibit diverse and sometimes unexpected biological effects. Fullerene nanoparticles have been reported to specifically bind to and elicit persistent activation of hippocampal Ca2+/ calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), a multimeric intracellular serine/threonine kinase central to Ca2+ signal transduction and critical for synaptic plasticity, but the functional consequence of that modulation is unknown. In this report, we investigated the ability of Nano C60 at extremely low doses to enhance hippocampal LTP and improve spatial learning and memory of rats. In parallel, the underlying molecular mechanism was further explored.

Method: Field potential extracellular recording in vivo, slice preparation and patch-clamp recording, Morris water maze, Primary neuron culture by Immunofluorescence, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and MALDI-TOF analysis.

Result: Here we show that low doses of fullerene C60 nanocrystals (Nano C60) delivered through intrahippocampal infusion and without any obvious cytotoxicity in hippocampal neuronal cells enhance the Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) of rats. Intraperitoneal injection of 320 mg/kg of Nano C60, once daily for ten days, also enhanced spatial memory of rats in addition to an increase of LTP. In parallel, both the IH and IP administration of Nano C60 increased the autonomous activity and the level of threonine 286 (T286) autophosphorylation of CaMKII, enhanced post-synaptic AMPA/NMDA ratio and triggered time-dependent activation of ERK and CREB.

Conclusion: Our results reveal a striking and highly unexpected ability of Nano C60 in positively modulating learning and memory, an effect that is most likely manifested through locking CaMKII in an active conformation and may have significant implications for the potential therapeutic applications of fullerene C60, classic engineered nanomaterial.

Biography :

E-mail: wming@ustc.edu.cn