Interceptor potential of C₆₀ fullerene aqueous solution: a comparative analysis using the example of the antitumor...

We performed a qualitative and quantitative analysis of intermolecular interactions in aqueous solution between the antitumor antibiotic mitoxantrone and C₆₀ fullerene in comparison with interactions between the antibiotic and well-known aromatic molecules such as caffeine and flavin mononucleotide, commonly referred to as interceptor molecules. For these purposes, we obtained equilibrium hetero-association constants of these interactions using a UV/Vis titration experiment. Special attention was paid to the interaction of C₆₀ fullerene with mitoxantrone, which has been quantified for the first time. Based on the theory of interceptor-protector action and using a set of measured equilibrium constants we managed to estimate the relative biological effect of these mixtures in a model living system, taking human buccal epithelium cells as an example. We demonstrated that C₆₀ fullerene is able to restore the functional activity of the buccal epithelium cell nucleus after exposure to mitoxantrone, which makes it possible to use C₆₀ fullerene as regulator of medico-biological activity of the antibiotic.