We use essential cookies (authentication, your saved goals/stack) by default. With your permission we’ll also enable privacy-respecting analytics (Vercel Web Analytics, anonymous load-time metrics) and error-replay diagnostics (Sentry — DOM snapshots only when an error fires) so we can fix bugs faster. Learn more about cookies
C603.0
C60 (Fullerene) Research
Mostly mechanism / observational
6 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Mostly mechanism / observational
Most C60 (Fullerene) studies are mechanism or observational rather than RCTs that measure a clinical effect — keep findings provisional.
Most evidence is from mixed-quality studies published 1997–2024.
Based on 6 studies
Confidence
Low confidence
By outcome
Safety profile
Mostly mechanism / observational3 studies
Longevity & aging (preclinical)A single rat study reported lifespan extension via antioxidant/radical-scavenging activity; no human efficacy or safety data, and a photo-toxicity concern. · Not established (single-study animal data)
Too few graded studies2 studies
Antioxidant & free-radical effects (preclinical)
Too few graded studies2 studies
Steady research
1 study in the last 5 years
199720102024
1In Vitro1997
In plain English: Water-soluble carboxylic-acid C60 derivatives were potent free-radical scavengers and inhibited excitotoxic and oxidative neuronal death in culture.
Dugan, Turetsky, Du, Lobner, Wheeler, Almli · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (1997)
Foundational mechanism paper — water-soluble C60 derivatives (carboxyfullerenes) are potent free-radical scavengers by EPR
Blocked excitotoxic (NMDA/AMPA) and oxygen-glucose-deprivation neuronal death in cultured cortical neurons
Establishes the 'radical sponge' / antioxidant rationale C60 is sold on
In plain English: An OECD-guideline short-term (2-week) oral study found soluble C60 in olive oil at 3.8 mg/kg/day caused no adverse effects in rats — addressing acute oral toxicity, not long-term safety.
In plain English: Intratracheal C60 nanoparticles caused inflammatory and histopathological changes in rat lung, though the comet-assay genotoxicity signal was limited.
Ema, Tanaka, Kobayashi, Naya, Endoh, Maru · Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology (2012)
Safety/counter-evidence — in-vivo genotoxicity and lung-toxicity assessment of C60 nanoparticles in rats
Repeated/high-dose intratracheal C60 caused lung inflammation and histopathological changes including alveolar hemorrhage
Tempers the 'C60 is harmless' narrative — particle form and route matter for toxicity
In plain English: Pristine C60 shows no acute/sub-acute toxicity in many organisms, but under UV-visible light and oxygen it is an efficient singlet-oxygen sensitizer and solutions can be highly toxic.
Kolosnjaj, Szwarc, Moussa · Advances in experimental medicine and biology (2007)
Review of fullerene toxicity — the key counter-evidence on safety
Pristine C60 had low acute/sub-acute toxicity across many model organisms in the dark
BUT C60 is an efficient singlet-oxygen photosensitizer under UV/visible light — solutions can become highly toxic; some chemically-modified derivatives are also highly toxic
5Animal2012
In plain English: Oral administration of C60 dissolved in olive oil to rats not only does not entail chronic toxicity but it almost doubles their lifespan, mainly via attenuation of age-associated oxidative stress.
The famous study behind C60's longevity reputation — oral C60-in-olive-oil (0.8 mg/ml, 1.7 mg/kg) in rats
Reported near-doubled lifespan with no chronic toxicity, attributed to reduced age-associated oxidative stress (supported by a CCl4-intoxication model)
A SMALL animal study — and despite over a decade of attention it has never been independently replicated
In plain English: Fullerene C60 had a protective effect during adjuvant arthritis, increasing antioxidant-enzyme (SOD, catalase) activity and inhibiting free-radical and destructive processes.