Cationic Fullerene Derivatives Research Articles

Electrostatic effects on water-soluble fullerene derivatives interaction with cytochrome c and cytochrome c oxidase.

Water-soluble fullerene derivatives are good candidates for various biological applications such as anticancer or antimicrobial therapy, cytoprotection, enzyme inhibition, and many others. Their toxicity, both in tissue culture and in vivo, is a critical characteristic for the development and restriction of these applications. The effects of six water-soluble cationic and anionic polysubstituted fullerene derivatives on cytochrome c oxidase activity in rat brain mitochondria and the possibility of cytochrome c binding were studied. We found that the ability of these fullerene derivatives to bind with cytochrome c oxidase and charged molecules like eosin Y strongly depends on their electrostatic charge. As was shown, the cationic fullerene derivative inhibits cytochrome c oxidase that has the overall negative electrostatic potential completely, unlike anionic derivatives. Thus, it confirms the essential role of electrostatic interactions in the interaction of fullerene derivatives with the active site of enzymes. The results explore how cationic fullerene derivatives play a role in mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and cytotoxicity.

Synthesis and antitumor activity of novel pyridinium fullerene derivatives.

PurposeWe have previously reported that some cationic fullerene derivatives exhibited anticancer activity, and they are expected to be a potential lead compound for an anti-drug resistant cancer agent. However, they are bis-adducts and a mixture of multiple regioisomers, which cannot be readily separated due to the variability of substituent positions on the fullerene cage. To overcome this issue, we evaluated the antiproliferative activities of a set of mono-adduct derivatives and examined their structure-activity relationship. In addition, the in vivo antitumor activity of selected derivatives was also examined.MethodsNineteen pyridinium fullerene derivatives were newly designed and synthesized in this study. Their antiproliferative activities were evaluated using several cancer cell lines including drug-resistant cells. Furthermore, in vivo antitumor activity of several derivatives was investigated in mouse xenograft model of human lung cancer.ResultsThe derivatives inhibited the proliferation of cancer cell lines, including cisplatin-resistant cells and doxorubicin-resistant cells. It was also shown that compound 10 (10 μM), 13 (10 μM) and cis-14 (10 μM) induced the intracellular oxidative stress. In addition, compound 13 (20 mg/kg) and cis-14 (15 mg/kg) significantly exhibited antitumor activity in mouse xenograft model of human lung cancer.ConclusionWe synthesized a novel set of mono-adduct fullerene derivatives functionalized with pyridinium groups and found that most of them show potent antiproliferative activities against cancer cell lines and some of them show significant antitumor activities in vivo. We propose that these fullerene derivatives serve as the lead compounds for a novel type of antitumor agents.

POLARON DYNAMICS. Long-lived photoinduced polaron formation in conjugated polyelectrolyte-fullerene assemblies.

The efficiency of biological photosynthesis results from the exquisite organization of photoactive elements that promote rapid movement of charge carriers out of a critical recombination range. If synthetic organic photovoltaic materials could mimic this assembly, charge separation and collection could be markedly enhanced. We show that micelle-forming cationic semiconducting polymers can coassemble in water with cationic fullerene derivatives to create photoinduced electron-transfer cascades that lead to exceptionally long-lived polarons. The stability of the polarons depends on the organization of the polymer-fullerene assembly. Properly designed assemblies can produce separated polaronic charges that are stable for days or weeks in aqueous solution.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of cationic fullerene quinazolinone conjugates and their binding mode with modeled Mycobacterium tuberculosis hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase enzyme

The present work reports a series of novel cationic fullerene derivatives bearing a substituted-quinazolinone moiety as a side arm. Fullerene-quinazolinone conjugates synthesized using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of C60 with azomethine ylides generated from the corresponding Schiff bases of substituted quinazolinone were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR and ESI-MS and screened for their antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H 37 Rv strain). All the compounds exhibited significant activity with the most effective having MIC in the range of 1.562-3.125μg/mL. Compound 9f exhibited good biological activity compared to standard drugs. We developed a computational strategy based on the modeled M. tuberculosis hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) using homology modeling techniques and studied its binding pattern with synthesized fullerene derivatives. We then explored the surface geometry of the protein to place the cage adjacent to the active site while optimizing its quinazolinone side arm to establish H bonding with active site residues.

Mechanistic studies on the photodynamic effect induced by a dicationic fullerene C60 derivative on Escherichia coli and Candida albicans cells

The photodynamic mechanism of action induced by N,N-dimethyl-2-(4'-N,N,N-trimethylaminophenyl)fulleropyrrolidinium iodide (DTC60(2+)) was investigated on Candida albicans and Escherichia coli cells. First, photogeneration of superoxide anion radical by DTC60(2+) in the presence of NADH was detected using nitro blue tetrazolium method in reverse micelles. In C. albicans suspensions, 10 μM DTC60(2+) was an effective photosensitizer, producing a ∼5log decrease of cell survival when the cultures were irradiated for 30 min with visible light. Also, C. albicans cells growth was not detected in the presence of 10 μM DTC60(2+) and irradiation. Photodynamic mechanism investigations were compared in both C. albicans and E. coli cells. Studies under anoxic conditions indicated that oxygen was required for the photodynamic inactivation of these microorganisms. The photocytotoxicity induced by DTC60(2+) was similar in D2O than in water cell suspensions. Furthermore, photoinactivation of microbial cells was negligible in the presence of azide ion, while the addition of mannitol produced a photoprotective effect on the cellular survival. These results indicate that DTC60(2+) has potential as agent to the photodynamic inactivation of microbial cells. Also, the photocytotoxicity activity induced by this cationic fullerene derivative can involve the intermediacy of both superoxide anion radical and singlet molecular oxygen.

Novel Cationic Quinazolin‐4(3H)‐one Conjugated Fullerene Nanoparticles as Antimycobacterial and Antimicrobial Agents

A series of novel cationic fullerene derivatives bearing a substituted-quinazolin-4(3H)-one moiety as a side arm were synthesized using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of C60 with azomethine ylides generated from the corresponding Schiff bases of substituted quinazolinones. The synthesized compounds 5a-f were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and ESI-MS and screened for their antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37RV) and antimicrobial activity against selected Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and S. pyogenes) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli) bacterial and fungal strains (Candida albicans, Aspergillus clavatus, and A. niger), respectively. All the compounds exhibited significant activity, with the most effective compounds having MIC values and zones of inhibition comparable to those of standard drugs.

Novel cationic fullerene derivatized s-triazine scaffolds as photoinduced DNA cleavage agents: design, synthesis, biological evaluation and computational investigation

A series of novel cationic fullerene (C60) derivatives, bearing substituted s-triazine moiety as a side arm, synthesized by using the 1,3 dipolar cycloaddition reaction of C60 with azomethine ylides generated from the corresponding Schiff bases of substituted s-triazine is reported. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and ESI-MS. The compounds 7a, 7d, 7e and 7f cleaved the supercoiled pBR322 DNA into nicked form efficiently upon visible light irradiation in the presence of NADH. The photoinduced superoxide radical and hydroxyl radical generated may act as molecular species causing the DNA scission. Further, the interaction of synthesized molecules with pBR322 plasmid DNA was investigated using computational approaches.

Behavior of octa(benzo-15-crown-5)- and tetrasulfophthalocyanines in the presence of water-soluble C60 compounds

Octa[(4′-benzo-15-crown-5)oxy]phthalocyanine was shown to dissolve in the presence of water-soluble fullerene compounds C60Cl(NHCH2CH2NH3+)5(−OOCCF3)5 or C60Cl(C6H4CH2CH2COONa)5. The solubilization of phthalocyanine was attributed to the possibility of formation of the hydrogen bonds N-H...O(CH2) and coordination of the sodium cations inside the cavities of the crown ether fragments for the cationic and anionic fullerene derivatives, respectively. Solubilization of the crown-containing phthalocyanine with participation of water-soluble fullerene compounds proceeded with the formation of aggregated forms. A monomeric form of nickel tetrasulfonated phthalocyaninate in the presence of an equimolar amount of C60Cl(NHCH2CH2NH3+)5(−OOCCF3)5 in 50% ethanol is transformed into a dimeric form. The structures of the fullerene-containing compounds and their state in solution facilitate the stacking aggregation of phthalocyanines.

Consultation rates and characteristics of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in primary care: A European observational study

The biological activities of C(60)-bis(N,N-dimethylpyrrolidinium iodide), a water-soluble cationic fullerene derivative, on human promyeloleukaemia (HL-60) cells were investigated. The pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative showed cytotoxicity in HL-60 cells. The characteristics of apoptosis, such as DNA fragmentation and condensation of chromatin in HL-60 cells, were observed by exposure to the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative. Caspase-3 and -8 were activated and cytochrome c was also released from mitochondria. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative was observed by DCFH-DA, a fluorescence probe for the detection of ROS. Pre-treatment with alpha-tocopherol suppressed cell death and intracellular oxidative stress caused by the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative. The apoptotic cell death induced by the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative was suggested to be mediated by ROS generated by the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative.

Biological activities of water-soluble fullerene derivatives

Three types of water-soluble fullerene derivatives were synthesized and their biological activities were investigated. C60-dimalonic acid, an anionic fullerene derivative, showed antioxidant activity such as quenching of superoxide and relief from growth inhibition of E. coli by paraquat. C60-bis(7V,7V-dimethylpyrrolidinium iodide), a cationic fullerene derivative, has antibacterial activity and antiproliferative effect on cancer cell lines. The mechanism is suggested to be respiratory chain inhibition by reactive oxygen species produced by the cationic fullerene derivative. Proline-type fullerene derivatives showed strong inhibition activities on HIV-reverse transcriptase. The IC50 values were remarkably lower than nevirapine, a clinically used anti-HIV drug. Fullerene derivatives have a big potential for a new type of lead compound to be used as medicine.

Pyrrolidinium-type fullerene derivative-induced apoptosis by the generation of reactive oxygen species in HL-60 cells

The biological activities of C60-bis(N,N-dimethylpyrrolidinium iodide), a water-soluble cationic fullerene derivative, on human promyeloleukaemia (HL-60) cells were investigated. The pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative showed cytotoxicity in HL-60 cells. The characteristics of apoptosis, such as DNA fragmentation and condensation of chromatin in HL-60 cells, were observed by exposure to the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative. Caspase-3 and -8 were activated and cytochrome c was also released from mitochondria. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative was observed by DCFH-DA, a fluorescence probe for the detection of ROS. Pre-treatment with α-tocopherol suppressed cell death and intracellular oxidative stress caused by the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative. The apoptotic cell death induced by the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative was suggested to be mediated by ROS generated by the pyrrolidinium fullerene derivative.

Reactions of chlorofullerene C 60Cl 6 with N-substituted piperazines

It was shown for the first time that reactions of C 60 halides with aliphatic amines provide a facile route for the synthesis of aminofullerenes, valuable precursors for water-soluble cationic fullerene derivatives. Particularly, chlorofullerene C 60Cl 6 and N-substituted piperazines were investigated in this work. It was shown that substitution of chlorine atoms in C 60Cl 6 by amine groups is accompanied by partial elimination of addends from the fullerene cage that yields mixtures of di-, tetra- and, hexaaminofullerenes as the final products. Separation of these mixtures by column chromatography resulted in isolation of pure 1,4-diaminofullerenes; this procedure gives much higher and more reproducible yields of these compounds than direct oxidative photoaddition of secondary amines to C 60. ESI mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy data showed that hexaaminofullerene isomers are major components in inseparable mixtures of polyaddition products. Polyaminofullerenes were found to be readily soluble in aqueous acids; these solutions are unstable because of a facile substitution of protonated amine groups with hydroxyls. Nevertheless, the use of other amine substrates in the investigated reaction can potentially allow the preparation of more stable water-soluble cationic fullerene derivatives for biological studies.

Design and activity of cationic fullerene derivatives as inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase

Four different regioisomers of cationic bis-N,N-dimethylfulleropyrrolidinium salts have been prepared and evaluated as inhibitors of the enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase. These fullerene-based derivatives were found to be noncompetitive inhibitors of acetylthiocholine hydrolysis. Molecular modelling was used to describe the possible interactions between the fullerene cage and the amino acids surrounding the cavity of the enzyme. The cationic C(60) derivatives used in this study represent a new class of molecules potentially able to modulate the enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase.

Anti-HIV properties of cationic fullerene derivatives

A series of regioisomeric bis-fulleropyrrolidines bearing two ammonium groups have been synthesized and their activities against HIV-1 and HIV-2 have been evaluated. Two trans isomers have been endowed with interesting antiviral properties, confirming the importance of the relative positions of the substituent on the C 60 cage. In addition, reduced amphiphilicity of molecules to other compounds previously reported decreases their cytotoxicity in CEM cell cultures. None of the compounds showed any inhibitory activity against a variety of DNA and RNA viruses other than HIV.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus‐Reverse Transcriptase Inhibition and Hepatitis C Virus RNA‐Dependent RNA Polymerase Inhibition Activities of Fullerene Derivatives.

We examined the human immunodeficiency virus-reverse transcriptase and hepatitis C virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibition activities of cationic, anionic, and amino acid-type fullerene derivatives. Among the fullerene derivatives, the amino acid-type fullerene derivative was the most efficient in human immunodeficiency virus-reverse transcriptase inhibition.

Human immunodeficiency virus-reverse transcriptase inhibition and hepatitis C virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibition activities of fullerene derivatives

We examined the human immunodeficiency virus-reverse transcriptase and hepatitis C virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibition activities of cationic, anionic, and amino acid-type fullerene derivatives. Among the fullerene derivatives, the amino acid-type fullerene derivative was the most efficient in human immunodeficiency virus-reverse transcriptase inhibition.

Antibacterial and Antiproliferative Activity of Cationic Fullerene Derivatives.

AbstractFor Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.

Investigation on the aggregation properties of cationic [60]fullerene derivative

The UV-Vis spectra, HRTEM and AFM images of cationic fullerene derivative 1 with ammonium head group directly connected to C60 skeleton in tetrahydrofuran (THF)-water (H2O) binary mixtures and in pure H2O were investigated. It was found that the UV-Vis spectra of ammonium 1 in the THF-H2O mixtures with THF% ⩾ 20% were nearly overlapped, while those with THF% < 20% showed broadened and red-shifted peaks, indicating the formation of aggregates. Corresponding to the UV-Vis spectral changes, the solvatochromism of ammonium 1 in THF-H2O mixtures was observed. Ammonium 1 in binary THF-H2O mixtures existing as the monomer state could aggregate upon prolonged standing. Higher temperature and lower concentration speeded up the aggregation process.

Antibacterial and antiproliferative activity of cationic fullerene derivatives

We examined the antibacterial and antiproliferative activities of alkylated C60-bis(N,N-dimethylpyrrolidinium iodide) derivatives. The fullerene derivatives inhibited bacteria and cancer cell growth effectively. However, the fullerene derivatives with a long alkyl chain did not show antibacterial activity.

Fluorescence microscopic visualization of a DNA-cationic fullerene complex.

Cationic fullerene derivative 1, which is soluble in aqueous medium, bound to double stranded DNA. Observation of Coliphage T4 DNA in the absence and presence of 1 by fluorescence microscopy suggested that 1 bound to DNA along its groove. Upon irradiation of visible light on the DNA complex of 1, DNA was cleaved dramatically. The process of DNA photo-cleavage could be monitored continuously by fluorescence microscopy.