Designing an Amino-Fullerene Derivative C₇₀–(EDA)₈ to Fight Superbacteria

Along with the rapid appearance of superbacteria with multidrug resistance, it is a challenge to develop new antibacterial materials to address this big issue. Herein, we report a novel amine group-modified fullerene derivative (C70–(ethylenediamine)8 abrr. C70–(EDA)8), which reveals a high performance in killing superbacteria, and most importantly, it shows negligible toxicity to the mammalian cells. The strong antibacterial ability of this material was attributed to its unique molecular structure. On one hand, amino groups on the EDA part make it easy to affix onto the outer membrane of multidrug resistance Escherichia coli by electrostatic interactions. On the other hand, the hydrophobic surface on the C70 part makes it easy to form a strong hydrophobic interaction with the inner membrane of bacteria. Finally, C70–(EDA)8 leads to the cytoplast leakage of superbacteria. In contrast, the C70–(EDA)8 is nontoxic for mammalian cells due to different distributions of the negative charges in the cell membrane. In vivo studies indicated that C70–(EDA)8 mitigated bacterial infection and accelerated wound healing by regulating the immune response and secretion of growth factors. Our amine group-based fullerene derivatives are promising for clinical treatment of wound infection and offer a new way to fight against the superbacteria.