Covalent and non-covalent derivatives of fullerene C60 and its biological activity
This paper presents the basic chemical characteristics of buckminsterfullerene-molecule CM60 and some of its biologically active derivatives. This new form of carbon with unique properties, discovered in 1985, is a very reactive species undergoing a variety of chemical reactions leading to a wide spectrum of possible covalent derivatives. Besides covalent compounds, fullerene reacts with different dopants to form non-covalent complexes, including endohedral, exohedral systems (intercalates). The review of the most significant papers on noncovalent and covalent derivatives and their biological activity is given, as well as our results in this field. Formation of intercalates of fullerene with small molecules of aliphatic alcohols is described and the importance of topology and size of dopants and the role of solvents in formation of intercalates is explained. Original synthesis of bromine derivative C60Br24 and water-soluble polyhydroxy derivative C60(OH)24 is described. Antioxidative effects of the latter compound were investigated in chemical model system and in vitro system of human neoplasmatic cells. The paper also gives theoretical explanation of addition C60R24 derivatives together with assumption about antioxidative activity of fullerol. .