Аннотация:Water-soluble fullerene derivatives are good candidates for various biological applica-
tions such as anticancer or antimicrobial therapy, cytoprotection, enzyme inhibition, and
many others. Their toxicity, both in tissue culture and in vivo, is a critical characteristic
for the development and restriction of these applications. The effects of six water-soluble
cationic and anionic polysubstituted fullerene derivatives on cytochrome c oxidase activ-
ity in rat brain mitochondria and the possibility of cytochrome c binding were studied.
We found that the ability of these fullerene derivatives to bind with cytochrome c oxidase
and charged molecules like eosin Y strongly depends on their electrostatic charge. As was
shown, the cationic fullerene derivative inhibits cytochrome c oxidase that has the overall
negative electrostatic potential completely, unlike anionic derivatives. Thus, it confirms the
essential role of electrostatic interactions in the interaction of fullerene derivatives with the
active site of enzymes. The results explore how cationic fullerene derivatives play a role in
mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and cytotoxicity