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Review
. 2022 Aug;29(39):58607-58627.
doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-21449-7. Epub 2022 Jul 6.

Fullerenes for the treatment of cancer: an emerging tool

Neha Benedicta Fernandes  1 , Raghavendra Udaya Kumar Shenoy  1 , Mandira Kashi Kajampady  1 , Cleona E M DCruz  2 , Rupesh K Shirodkar  2 , Lalit Kumar  3 , Ruchi Verma  4
Affiliations
Review

Fullerenes for the treatment of cancer: an emerging tool

Neha Benedicta Fernandes et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Cancer is a most common cause of mortality globally. Available medicines possess severe side effects owing to their non-specific targeting. Hence, there is a need of an alternative in the healthcare system that should have high efficacy with the least side effects, also having the ability to achieve site-specific targeting and be reproducible. This is possible with the help of fullerenes. Fullerenes are having the unique physicochemical and photosensitizer properties. This article discusses the synthesis, functionalization, mechanism, various properties, and applications of C60 fullerenes in the treatment of cancer. The review article also addresses the various factors influencing the activity of fullerenes including the environmental conditions, toxicity profile, and future prospective.

Keywords: Biocompatibility; Biodegradability; Biosensing; Cancer therapy; Nanomedicine; Nanotechnology; Photodynamic therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Fullerene as a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Arc discharge method
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Laser ablation method
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Fig. 4
Combustion method
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Fig. 5
Formation of fullerenol
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Fig. 6
Formation of 1,2 and 1,4 amine substituted fullerene
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Depicts the activity of Gd@C82(OH)22 in cancer therapy acting as a metastasis inhibitor, ROS scavenger, cell cycle regulator, cellular immunity activator, and an angiogenesis suppressor
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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