ABSTRACT
C60 fullerenes, comprised of carbon allotropic family, used widely next to graphenes, contain a fused ring structure with 12 hexagons and 20 pentagons. Since its discovery, the C60 fullerene molecule is attracting scientists owing to its symmetric structure, nanometric size, tensile strength, chemical tailoring and drug-loading nature. Fullerenes are known to possess antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antioxidant and MRI contrasting properties. Even after the chemical modifications, fullerenes and their derivatives are extensively employed in the drug and gene delivery, especially to the cancerous cells. In the present review, an attempt is made to highlight the promises and challenges of fullerenes in the drug delivery towards cancerous cells. The potentials such as rate-controlled drug release nature, high drug-loading capacity, biocompatible nature, enhanced permeability and retention time in the biological systems have been elaborated. On the other side, various challenging parameters such as tissue toxicity, elimination from the system, stability issues and commercial viability have also been pondered upon. Meanwhile, the availability of certain products of fullerenes in the market gives a ray of hope in drug delivery and other biomedical applications.
