Anti-human immunodeficiency virus activity and cytotoxicity of derivatized buckminsterfullerenes

Eleven new functional derivatives of C60 have been tested for anti-HIV activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells infected with HIV-1LAV. Nine compounds displayed activity in the low micromolar range (EC50), three of them lower than any fullerene derivative reported to date. With one exception, these compounds displayed no cytotoxicity up to 100 μM.