Adamantyl ferrocene derivatives: Antioxidant abilities and effects on model lipid membranes

A series of homoannularly and heteroannularly substituted adamantyl ferrocene derivatives has been synthesized and their effects on membrane fluidity were investigated using liposomes as the membrane models. The liposome formulations of adamantyl ferrocene derivatives were characterized by using dynamic light scattering, differential scanning calorimetry and fluorescence anisotropy measurements. It was demonstrated that adamantyl ferrocene derivatives incorporated into the liposome significantly affect the structure of the lipid bilayer. The results of the study have revealed that adamantyl ferrocene derivatives, compounds 9-12, partition into the hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface of the membrane, causing a significant decrease in membrane fluidity. The antioxidant potential of synthesized compounds was assessed with DPPH method and it was shown that the examined compounds possess certain antioxidant activity.