Evaluation of the Biodistribution of Serinolamide-Derivatized C₆₀ Fullerene

Carbon nanoparticles have consistently been of great interest in medicine. However, there are currently no clinical materials based on carbon nanoparticles, due to inconsistent biodistribution and excretion data. In this work, we have synthesized a novel C₆₀ derivative with a metal chelating agent (1,4,7-Triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid; NOTA) covalently bound to the C₆₀ cage and radiolabeled with copper-64 (t_1/2 = 12.7 h). Biodistribution of the material was assessed in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET). Bingel-Hirsch chemistry was employed to functionalize the fullerene cage with highly water-soluble serinolamide groups allowing this new C₆₀ conjugate to clear quickly from mice almost exclusively through the kidneys. Comparing the present results to the larger context of reports of biocompatible fullerene derivatives, this work offers an important evaluation of the in vivo biodistribution, using experimental evidence to establish functionalization guidelines for future C₆₀-based biomedical platforms.