The effect of fullerene layer on the aggregates formation in amyloid beta Langmuir-Blodgett films

Abstract The investigation of the effect of carbon nanomaterials and lipids on the aggregation particularities of the amyloid beta/Aβ(1-42) layers is important for understanding the generation mechanism of neuronal disorder and how it can be inhibited. Additionally, amyloids are nanomaterials with a wide area of potential applications from nanotechnology to biotechnology. This paper presents a study about the preparation of Aβ(1-42) layer by two different methods, Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) and drop cast (DC), on Si and Si covered by a layer of Buckminster fullerene, C60, and on the effect of fullerene layer or/and cholesterol (Ch) on the generation of Aβ(1-42) secondary structure forms, relevant for specific applications. AFM, SEM FTIR and Raman analysis offered details about the layer surface topography, morphology and particularities of the secondary structure generated in the process of Aβ(1-42) molecules aggregation. This study showed that the presence of Ch inhibited the formation of fibrils in Aβ(1-42) film deposited by L-B on Si covered by C60. The structures developed during aggregation were correlated with the topography and roughness of the films. The presence of Ch determined a decrease in roughness for L-B film and increase in roughness for DC film deposited on Si covered by C60 layer.