Visible light irradiation of [60]fullerene causes killing and initiation of transformation in BALB/3T3 cells

摘要

Cell transformation in vitro is a model of carcinogenesis in vivo. Two-stage transformation assay increases the sensitivity of cells to chemicals and permits detection of carcinogens acting as initiating agents. [60]Fullerene (C_(60)) was cytotoxic in BALB/3T3 cells when it was irradiated by visible light, but not without light irradiation. Under conditions when C_(60) was cytotoxic, it acted as an initiating agent for cell transformation, but it did not act as a complete transforming agent. The initiating activity of visible-light-irradiated C_(60) was statistically significant in a modified two-stage transformation assay including a procedure for replating cells treated by C_(60) and light, but it was equivocal in the standard two-stage transformation assay.