Fig. 1

Fullerenol nanoparticle characterization and cytotoxicity assessment. a Typical image of AFM. b The influence of fullerenol on breast cancer cell viability. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were incubated with fullerenol (12.5, 25, 50,100, or 200 μg/mL) for 24 h (B), 48 h (c), 72 h (d) and cell viability was detected by CCK-8. Error bars represent mean ± SD, *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01 (n = 6). Apoptosis induced by fullerenol in breast cancer cells. Cells were stained with Annexin V-FITC and PI for 30 min. Flow cytometry analyzed apoptosis in MCF-7 (e) and MDA-MB-231 cells (f) treated with fullerenol for 24 h