Fullerene and its use to maintain good health and to prolong the expected lifespan of mammals

Abstract

A water-insoluble fullerene is at least partially dissolved in a biocompatible lipid carrier, especially a fat or an oil such as butter, olive oil, and liquid paraffin. When administered to mammals, the fullerene, most preferably [60]fullerene dissolved in olive oil, scavenges free radicals and prolongs life span in rats.

Description

[0001]This application claims benefit of Tunisian Provisional Application No. TN 2011 / 327 filed Jun. 30, 2011 the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention concerns [60]fullerene and stable biocompatible compositions comprising [60]fullerene dissolved in a carrier. The present invention also relates to a method for increasing the expected lifespan (longevity) of a mammal, which comprises a step of administering [60]fullerene or a composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of [60]fullerene. The present invention further concerns a method for preserving a mammal to damages caused by free radicals using said [60]fullerene or said composition.[0004]2. Description of Related Art[0005]Free radicals, such as oxygen radicals and other reactive oxygen / nitrogen / chlorine species (hydroxyl, nitric oxide radicals), are constantly formed in vivo. Some of these molecules are physiologi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a method for extending the lifespan of mammals by administering a composition containing fullerene dissolved in a carrier such as fats and oils. This method avoids the use of charge transfer complexes and organic solvents and ensures that the fullerene is not in situ aggregated. The resulting composition is stable and safe for use and can be added to food or nutritional compositions to promote longevity in mammals. The method is simple and effective, and avoids the drawbacks of previous methods.

Problems solved by technology

Some of these molecules are physiologically useful, but they can also result in pathological oxidative stress to cells and tissues.

However, excess production of free radicals, their production in inappropriate relative amounts or deficiencies in endogenous defences can have deleterious effects.

Availability of biocompatible aqueous solutions of Ceo and its derivatives that are insoluble in water have been major obstacles to toxicity and in vivo studies of this new family of compounds.

Biological properties of water-insoluble fullerenes are still misunderstood and to our knowledge there are no certified toxicology data about them.

Most of the fullerenes studied until now are water-soluble derivatives, since study of water-insoluble fullerenes, such as pristine Ceo, in biological medium proves difficult.

However, water-soluble fullerenes are difficult to synthesize and to purify.

However, Ceo has not been employed as an active ingredient to develop an in vivo treating method in this publication.

However, the authors failed to detect the fullerene inside the cells and these suspensions containing very low concentrations of fullerene (typically 0.1 mg per ml) were inadequate to perform in vivo studies, especially toxicity studies. and metabolic fate investigations ((J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 4517-4518).

Other vectorisation methods include the formation of inclusion complexes with cyclodextrins, calixarenes, tween-20, micelles, liposomes, and vesicles; however the Ceo concentrations reached by such methods are still very low (1 mg / mL at most) and inadequate to perform in vivo toxicity studies.

Further, these methods present another drawback because they generally necessitate a preliminary dissolution step of the fullerene in an organic solvent.

Another method, disclosed in J. Med. Chem. 2000, 43, 3186-3188 uses polyvinyl-pyrrolidone to solubilize C6o; however this vehicle can react with fullerene and the formed complex may cause harmful effects on mice embryos.

However, in such compositions the water-insoluble fullerene is not fully dissolved and their oral absorption was unknown.

Thus, the in vivo use of water-insoluble fullerenes as free radical scavengers through delivery thanks to a non-aqueous carrier is still not satisfactory.

Images