Progress in Antiviral Fullerene Research

Abstract

Unlike traditional small molecule drugs, fullerene is an all-carbon nanomolecule with a spherical cage structure. Fullerene exhibits high levels of antiviral activity, inhibiting virus replication in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we systematically summarize the latest research regarding the different types of fullerenes investigated in antiviral studies. We discuss the unique structural advantage of fullerenes, present diverse modification strategies based on the addition of various functional groups, assess the effect of structural differences on antiviral activity, and describe the possible antiviral mechanism. Finally, we discuss the prospective development of fullerenes as antiviral drugs.

Covalently linked thieno[2,3-b]thiophene-fullerene dimers: synthesis and physical characterization

“…In this region, the functionalized thienothiophene entities' absorption bands overlapped with those of the fullerenes, which are typical for π-π* transitions in aromatic systems. Compound 6 has noticeable absorption band that appears as a shoulder around 426 nm and is characteristic of [6,6]-adducts of C 60 due to double bond saturation on the [60]fullerene cage. 47 FTTPy 6 exhibits a weak band at 702 nm in chloroform and that band is also shown in toluene as displayed in Fig.…”

“…4 The electrochemical properties of fullerene derivatives, which make them ideal for the fabrication of contemporary nanoengineered materials and devices, attracted scientists to research and design new electron-donor and electron-acceptor compounds. It is also considered the state-of-the-art material in many applications 3 such as materials science, 5 antiviral therapy, 6 photodynamic therapy (PDT), 7,8 screen printed systems, 9,10 rechargeable bat-teries, 11 layered materials for organic and perovskite solar cells, 12,13 biosensors, 14 and organic chemistry. 15 Due to its dual electrophilic and nucleophilic properties as well as its noteworthy redox activity, it can act as an electron acceptor.…”

Synthesis of [60]Fullerene Hybrids Endowed with Steroids and Monosaccharides: Theoretical Underpinning as Promising anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 Agents

“…[6] Also, fullerenes have been used as HIV-1 protease inhibitors, [7] in photodynamic therapies, [8] as antioxidant agents, [9] as emerging tool for cancer treatment, [10] and as antiviral agents. [11] Although, one of the most significant applications of fullerenes is its potential use in biological systems, an obstacle to its application is the lack of solubility in water and the low solubility in most organic solvents. [12] The chemical modification of [60]fullerene to increase its solubility, can also lead to the formation of conjugates with different physicochemical properties, thus increasing the applications of this allotrope of carbon.…”

“…The ability of C 60 and its derivatives to capture a large number of radicals per molecule makes them potentially useful drugs for preventing or treatment pathologies involving oxidative processes, such as cardiovascular [5] or degenerative diseases [6] . Also, fullerenes have been used as HIV‐1 protease inhibitors, [7] in photodynamic therapies, [8] as antioxidant agents, [9] as emerging tool for cancer treatment, [10] and as antiviral agents [11] …”

Highly aqueously stable C60‐polymer nanoparticles with excellent photodynamic property for potential cancer treatment

“…Fullerenes and their derivatives are very attractive due to their various promising biomedical applications such as anti-viruses, [1][2][3][4][5] antioxidant, neuroprotective, antimicrobial, and photodynamic therapy (PDT), which is attributed to their versatile physicochemical properties. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Among those in particular, owing to the photo-sensitive property, fullerene was recently used in PDT as a novel photosensitizer, which is an efficient technology with highly selective cytotoxicity against cancer cells in response to light, showing great prospects in fighting against cancers.…”