Abstrait

Fullerenes: Properties and therapeutic applications

Shyam M.Garg

Ever since their discovery in 1985, fullerenes have captured the imagination of pharmaceutical researchers for their unique properties and medical applications. They are compounds composed solely of an even number of carbon atoms which forma cage-like fused-ring polycyclic system with twelve five-membered rings and the rest six-membered rings. Fullerenes have unique chemical, physical, and biological properties which make them ideal candidates in the field of medicine. This review focuses on the chemical and biological properties of fullerenes giving detailed descriptions of their variousmedical applications such as anti-oxidant activity, anti-HIV activity, antimicrobial action, anti-cancer/tumor activity, and as photodynamic and diagnostic agents.