Cellular localisation of a water-soluble fullerene derivative

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2002 May 31;294(1):116-9. doi: 10.1016/S0006-291X(02)00445-X.

Abstract

Fullerenes are a new class of compounds with potential uses in biology and medicine and many insights were made in the knowledge of their interaction with various biological systems. However, their interaction with organised living systems as well as the site of their potential action remains unclear. In this work, we have demonstrated that a fullerene derivative could cross the external cellular membrane and it localises preferentially to the mitochondria. We propose that our finding supports the potential use of fullerenes as drug delivery agents as their structure mimics that of clathrin known to mediate endocytosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • COS Cells
  • Carbon / chemistry*
  • Carbon / metabolism*
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect
  • Fullerenes*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Mitochondria / metabolism
  • Solubility
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Water

Substances

  • Fullerenes
  • Water
  • Carbon
  • fullerene C60