Interactions of a Water-Soluble Glycofullerene with Glucose Transporter 1. Analysis of the Cellular Effects on a Pancreatic Tumor Model

In recent years, carbon nanomaterials have been intensively investigated for their possible applications in biomedical studies, especially as drug delivery vehicles. Several surface modifications can modulate the unique molecular structure of [60]fullerene derivatives, as well as their physicochemical properties. For this reason, covalent modifications that would enable a greater water solubilization of the fullerene buckyball have been rapidly investigated. The most exciting applications of fullerene nanomaterials are as drug delivery vectors, photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy (PDT), astransfection or MRI contrast agents, antimicrobials and antioxidants. From these perspectives, the glucose derivatives of [60]fullerene seem to be an interesting carbon nanomaterial for biological studies. It is well-known that cancer cells are characterized by an increased glucose uptake and it has also been previously reported that the glucose transporters (GLUTs) are overexpressed in several types of cancers, which make them attractive molecular targets for many drugs. This study explored the use of a highly water-soluble glycofullerene (called Sweet-C(60)) in pancreatic cancer studies. Here, we describe the PANC-1 cell proliferation, migration, metabolic activity and glycolysis rate after incubations with different concentrations of Sweet-C(60). The final results did not show any influence of the Sweet-C(60) on various cancer cellular events and glycolysis, suggesting that synthesized glycofullerene is a promising drug delivery vehicle for treating pancreatic cancer.