Instability of Fullerene Interacting with Lipid Bilayers Duangkamon Baowan Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University

Due to the large number of possible applications of nanoparticles in cosmetic and medical products, the possible hazards of nanoparticles in the human body are a major concern. A worst-case scenario is that nanoparticles might cause health issues such as skin damage or even induce diseases such as cancer. As a first step in the study of the toxicity of nanoparticles, we investigate the energy behaviour of aspherical fullerene interacting with a lipid bilayer using Lennard-Jones potential together with the continuous approximation, which assumes that a discrete atomic structure can be replaced by a surface of uniform atomic density. First, the equilibrium spacing between the two layers of a bilayer is predicted to be 3.36Å. For an assumed circular hole in the lipid bilayer, a relation for the molecular interaction energy is determined, involving the circular hole radius, and the perpendicular distance of the nanoparticle from the hole.Further, when the system has no external forces, the nanoparticle will not penetrate through the lipid bilayer but rather remains encased between the two layers.