Potential applications of fullerenes in drug delivery and medical advances

The area of chemistry faces a significant challenge in developing fullerenes that can efficiently deliver medication to targeted molecules. Our current review provides comprehensive information on the use of fullerenes and their derivatives as a platform for drug-delivery applications. Their water-soluble feature maintains fullerenes' inherent hydrophobicity, and their excellent surface modification and functionalization make them desirable for use in biomedical applications. When combined with CNTs, fullerenes exhibit antibacterial properties, but their effect on diabetes treatment, DNA synthesis, and toxicity towards human cells is still unknown. Recent studies on water-soluble fullerene derivatives have revealed interesting antibacterial and antioxidant properties that are now used in skincare products and cosmetics. These same derivatives have shown promise in interacting with DNA, proteins, and living cells, paving the way for further research in this exciting field. Leukemic cells treated with C60 fullerene have demonstrated significant antiproliferative properties. C24 fullerene is used to remove AMP and KET medications from the environment. Nanosized fullerenes are being investigated for their potential use in tumor therapy, including the application of C60 + Dox complexes for chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy to induce apoptosis in malignant tumors. The density function calculations were used to research the potential of fullerenes as drug-delivery vehicles. Researchers have discovered a new method for treating COVID-19 by using first-row transition metal-doped fullerenes to absorb favipiravir. Fullerenes and their derivatives are also being investigated as potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's as well as Alzheimer's. This article briefly discusses the difficulties and potential applications of fullerene derivatives.