Complex of C60 Fullerene with Doxorubicin as a Promising Agent in Antitumor Therapy

The main aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of doxorubicin in complex with C-60 fullerene (C-60 + Dox) on the growth and metastasis of Lewis lung carcinoma in mice and to perform a primary screening of the potential mechanisms of C-60 + Dox complex action. We found that volume of tumor from mice treated with the C-60 + Dox complex was 1.4 times less than that in control untreated animals. The number of metastatic foci in lungs of animals treated with C-60 + Dox complex was two times less than that in control untreated animals. Western blot analysis of tumor lysates revealed a significant decrease in the level of heat-shock protein 70 in animals treated with C-60 + Dox complex. Moreover, the treatment of tumor-bearing mice was accompanied by the increase of cytotoxic activity of immune cells. Thus, the potential mechanisms of antitumor effect of C-60 + Dox complex include both its direct action on tumor cells by inducing cell death and increasing of stress sensitivity and an immunomodulating effect. The obtained results provide a scientific basis for further application of C-60 + Dox nanocomplexes as treatment agents in cancer chemotherapy.