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Review
. 2014:9:77-92.
doi: 10.2147/IJN.S52829. Epub 2013 Dec 18.

Fullerene-biomolecule conjugates and their biomedicinal applications

Xinlin Yang  1 , Ali Ebrahimi  1 , Jie Li  2 , Quanjun Cui  1
Affiliations
Review

Fullerene-biomolecule conjugates and their biomedicinal applications

Xinlin Yang et al. Int J Nanomedicine. 2014.

Abstract

Fullerenes are among the strongest antioxidants and are characterized as "radical sponges." The research on biomedicinal applications of fullerenes has achieved significant progress since the landmark publication by Friedman et al in 1993. Fullerene-biomolecule conjugates have become an important area of research during the past 2 decades. By a thorough literature search, we attempt to update the information about the synthesis of different types of fullerene-biomolecule conjugates, including fullerene-containing amino acids and peptides, oligonucleotides, sugars, and esters. Moreover, we also discuss in this review recently reported data on the biological and pharmaceutical utilities of these compounds and some other fullerene derivatives of biomedical importance. While within the fullerene-biomolecule conjugates, in which fullerene may act as both an antioxidant and a carrier, specific targeting biomolecules conjugated to fullerene will undoubtedly strengthen the delivery of functional fullerenes to sites of clinical interest.

Keywords: amino acid; ester; fullerene; oligonucleotide; peptide; sugar.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of antioxidative fullerene derivatives 1–5. Notes: (A) 1; (B) 2; (C) 3; (D) 4; (E) 5. Abbreviations: Pr, Propylamine group; Me, Methyl group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of antioxidative fullerene derivatives 6–10. Notes: (A) 6; (B) 7; (C) 8; (D) 9; (E) 10. Abbreviation: PEG, Polyethylene glycol.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chemical structures of fullerene derivatives 11–13 interacting with enzymes of the human immunodeficiency virus. Notes: (A) 11; (B) 12; (C) 13.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chemical structures of fullerene derivatives 14–18 interacting with acetylcholinesterase or hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase. Notes: (A) 14; (B) 15; (C) 16; (D) 17; (E) 18.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Chemical structures of antimicrobial fullerene derivatives 19–24. Notes: (A) 19; (B) 20; (C) 21; (D) 22; (E) 23; (F) 24.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Chemical structures of fullerene derivatives 25–29 with immunological or membranotropic properties. Notes: (A) 25; (B) 26; (C) 27; (D) 28; (E) 29. Abbreviations: Me, methyl group; TFA, trifluoroacetic acid; PPGMRPP, Pro-Pro-Gly-Met-Arg-Pro-Pro.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Chemical structures of DNA-binding fullerene derivatives 30 and fullerene–oligonucleotide conjugates 31–35. Notes: (A) 30; (B) 31; (C) 32; (D) 33; (E) 34; (F) 35. Abbreviation: OLIGO, oligonucleotide.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Chemical structures of fullerene–sugar conjugates 36–42. Notes: (A) 36; (B) 37; (C) 38; (D) 39; (E) 40; (F) 41; (G) 42. Abbreviations: Su, Sugar; Gal, Galactose; Glc, Glucose; Me, Methyl group.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Chemical structures of fullerene–sugar conjugates 43–46. Notes: (A) 43; (B) 44; (C) 45; (D) 46. Abbreviation: Ac, Acetyl.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Chemical structures of fullerene-containing esters 47–50. Notes: (A) 47; (B) 48; (C) 49; (D) 50.
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