ROS generation by photoexcited fullerenes

Introduction

Following the discovery of C₆₀ in 1985, photoinduced reactions by fullerenes have been continuously studied since the early 1990s. Important properties of fullerenes as photosensitizers include a relatively long excitation wavelength and efficient generation of reactive oxygen species. Coupled with the lack of reported toxicity of C₆₀ in mammalians in the absence of light, these properties render fullerenes suitable as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy. To be able to use C₆₀ in biological systems, several approaches were developed to prepare water-soluble fullerene complexes or derivatives thereof. In this talk, 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of C₆₀, C₇₀, and M₃N@C₈₀ for the preparation of water-soluble fullerene derivatives, the use of these compounds for reactive oxygen species generation, and applications of these systems will be discussed.