Differences in dosages of Grafex®Super [C-60] and Regular C60 fullerenes:
Recommended dosing is arbitrary based on very few rodent studies that were designed to evaluate toxicity potential over an extended period rather than to produce a therapeutic effect in a disease model or pathological state. The Baati rat study used healthy ten-month-old animals which would be roughly equivalent to healthy 25-year-old human subjects. They observed no adverse reactions or health problems and attributed the observed effects of vitality and longevity to anti-oxidant action.
Extrapolating the Baati dosing and frequency for use in therapeutic states is meaningless other than a general guideline as MRSD calculations are based on a predetermined No Observed Adverse Effects Level (NOAEL) which was never performed. Additionally, the Baati dosage may likely be too low to reproduce the same effects in considerably larger species and there is no reported research to evaluate whether a more beneficial correction factor is needed.
The Baati study, as noted earlier, used a healthy young rat model, therefore older subjects may not achieve the same effects or may require much higher dosing.
Most medical studies evaluating therapeutic uses of Regular C60 in pathological states use a functionalized or water-soluble form of Regular C60 to allow IV (Injection) administration to achieve reported tissue levels higher than is likely to be produced by oral bioavailability. To achieve therapeutic organ-specific or systemic levels may require much higher and more frequent intake levels than proposed by many of the Regular C60 websites promoting their low content of actual C60 carbon fullerenes (0.8mg of carbon per ml dose) in the oils. The color of the Regular C60 mixture as a measure of quality is fiction. Scientifically, it is merely a manifestation of color that is related to C60-oil interaction.
At present, no published studies are using oral fullerene dosing to treat an active disease process or known pathology in humans or animals. Longevity studies are also minimal. It is likely, that similar to other supplements and medications, there are different therapeutic dose curves: One to prevent symptoms or occurrence of disease, one for optimum health and wellness, and another to treat an existing illness not based on deficiency. The age at which any fullerene intake is started may profoundly impact both dose requirements and health and longevity effects due to impacts on cellular anti-oxidant proteins and protection of cellular protein, DNA/RNA, lipids and organelles.
A 2018 paper using oral regular C60 in olive oil to protect against genotoxicity induced by cyclophosphamide in rats used a far higher dose of 4mg/kg. This is the equivalent dosing of about 51mg in a 176 lb (70 kg) human. (reference link: Fayza M. Aly, Amnah Othman, and Mohie A. M. Haridy, “Protective Effects of Fullerene C60 Nanoparticles and Virgin Olive Oil against Genotoxicity induced by Cyclophosphamide in Rats,” Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, vol. 2018, Article ID 1261356, 12 pages, 2018.
The bioavailability of both Regular C60 as well as Grafex®Super [C-60] via oral ingestion in pristine forms (without a carrier oil) is very poor.
Research evaluating Regular C60’s bioavailability ranges from <1% to 3% in fullerenol form. Absorption of Grafex®Super [C-60] is expected to be less due to the lower reactivity of its outer shell carbon atoms along with its immense density, which is packed into one molecule, as compared to Regular C60. The smaller Regular C60 molecule accordingly is presumed to have far greater access into the cells (enterocytes) that line the gut. The presumed dominant absorption pathway for both Regular C60 and Grafex®Super [C-60] however, is through association with fat absorption through the gut, and should be close to the same. Thus, it is presumed that oral pristine fullerene bioavailability is enhanced if taken in association with a fat-containing meal.
It is important to point out that this pathway requires fullerene localization within micelles of fat in the presence of pancreatic lipase and bile salts.
There are situations where fat absorption is a problem where oral fullerene bioavailability is reduced as in the case of pancreatic insufficiency (i.e., pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome) and defective bile secretion inhibiting or reducing fat solubilization (i.e., ileal dysfunction, resection with decreased bile salt uptake, cessation of bile flow by obstruction and hepatic dysfunction, nutrient pre absorption, or modification by SIBO – small bowel bacterial overgrowth). Some of these absorption issues can benefit from the use of supportive lipase enzymes and bile salts found in many of the better digestive enzyme products.