Cyclic voltammetry (CV) of fullerene derivatives plays a relevant role in the characterization of their electronic properties and potential applications [28]. The electrochemical investigation of fulleropyrrolidine esters 1–12 by CV was carried out in dimethylformamide (DMF) at room temperature with tetrabutylammonium perchorate (TBAP) as the supporting electrolyte and a ferrocene/ferrocenyl couple (Fc/Fc+) as the internal redox standard. The observed half-wave reduction potentials (E1/2) of the studied compounds together with those of pristine C60 (as a reference compound [29]) are listed in .
Table 1 Half-wave reduction potentials vs Fc/Fc+ (0.53 V vs Ag/Ag+ in DMF) of fullerene esters in DMF containing 0.1 M TBAP as the supporting electrolyte.
The voltammetric behavior of the compounds is characterized by the presence of four reversible, one-electron reductions, all attributable to the 58 member π-electron system of fulleropyrrolidinic subunit, similar to that found for other fulleropyrolidine monoadducts [30]. As a consequence of the fullerene [6,6]-double bond saturation (after Prato's reaction), all four registered half-wave potentials were cathodically shifted by 110–240 mV relative to pristine C60, and appeared at approximately −1.0, −1.4, −2.0, and −2.6 V vs Fc/Fc+ (1st to 4th, respectively).
Although the fullerene functionalization resulted in the decrease of the electron affinity, the π-electron system was not dramatically disrupted, thus, it could be expected that the carbon core in the studied compounds retained its antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant activity of 12 fullerene esters (as water soluble fullerosomes, obtained by liposome formation with soybean lecithin [31]) was determined by FOX antioxidant assay [32], using vitamin C and fullerene C60 as reference compounds. The FOX assay is based on the oxidation of ferrous to ferric ions in the presence of hydroperoxides in acidic media and subsequent complex formation with xylenol orange (XO), monitored using spectrophotometry by measuring the absorbance at 560 nm (A560). In the presence of an antioxidant compound, the A560 decreases due to hydroperoxide quenching. The antioxidant capacity of the compounds studied, expressed as an inhibitory effect toward oxidation, was evaluated by monitoring the formation of an Fe3+–XO complex. The experiments were performed by incubating the aqueous solution of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), tested compounds (0.002 mg/mL) and FOX reagent, followed by the A560 measurement. The results of the direct antioxidant capacity are expressed as the percentage of consumed TBHP (Δ%) (see Experimental section, ), demonstrating the level of peroxide consumed. Recalculations provided results of molar activities and expressing them in comparison to vitamin C afforded values of the relative antioxidant activity (Aox-rel), as presented in . As can be seen, the fullerene esters showed much higher capability to decrease the level of peroxides in solution compared to the standard antioxidant agent, vitamin C. All the tested fullerene esters expressed five- to twelve-fold higher antioxidant capacity compared to vitamin C, and similarly to C60 (compound 6) with an up to two-fold better performance. It was shown that derivatization of fullerenes with peptide units enhances their solubility [27] and, consequently, their essential antioxidant capacity, which is mainly attributed to the electron-accepting properties of the fullerene unit.
Figure 2 Comparison of the relative antioxidant activities (Aox-rel) of the tested compounds (1–12) and C60 with regard to vitamin C (Aox-rel = 1) measured by FOX assay.
The self-assembly characteristics of fulleropeptide esters 2–12 were studied by SEM on the samples prepared by a drop–drying process [2] and on the solid samples. In order to examine the influence of the peptide chain on the self-assembly properties, the aggregation behavior of the parent Fp–GABA ester 1 (the control compound without the peptide moiety) was also included in this investigation. The SEM study on the control compound was reported and showed that the best-ordered, self-organized structures are obtained in a binary solvent mixture, 5:1 PhMe/MeOH [25]. The morphological features of each of the tested fullerene derivatives were investigated under the same conditions, using dried samples obtained from dilute solutions by slow evaporation in a 5:1 PhMe/MeOH mixture (10 µL, 1 mM) on a Si substrate at room temperature. The ester 1 arranged into a flower-shaped, hierarchically ordered architecture of curled leaf-like particles with diameters of up to 5 μm () [25]. –F shows selected representative examples of SEM micrographs of typical fulleropeptide self-assembled structures. Additionally, SEM images of self-organized structures of all the investigated compounds are shown in Figure S1 (Supporting Information File 1). Two types of rounded particles (flat and curled), originating from spontaneously formed, self-organized spherical nanoparticles, were the dominant structures observed among all the investigated fulleropeptides ().
Figure 3 Selected SEM images of flower-shaped, self-organized particles of the parent ester 1 (A), and different fulleropeptide self-assemblies. (B) Isolated, curled microsheets of 6. (C, D) Isolated, flat, spherical particles of 4 and 11. (E, F) Networks of spherical particles of 9 and 12, all prepared from 5:1 PhMe/MeOH (v/v) on a Si substrate after evaporation of a 1 mM solution. Scale bars correspond to 5 μm.
The examined GABA containing homopeptides 2 and 3, tripeptide 7, and the tetrapeptides 6, 8, and 10 all prefer to form similar isolated, curled microparticles as final assemblies with dimensions up to 3 μm ( (6)). SEM studies revealed that the other five fulleropeptides, 4, 5, 9, 11, and 12, self-assembled into mainly individual, flat-spherical nanoparticles of various sizes (,D) or into the network-type structures (,F). It should be noted that the heteropeptides 9, 11, and 12 had the increased tendency to form fused or stacked small spherical particles with a flat morphology, giving branched, straight aggregates as the start of network formation (, fulleropeptide 9), and finally, a complete network of spherical particles (fulleropeptide 12 at a five-fold higher concentration, ). Additionally, SEM micrographs (Supporting Information File 1, Figure S1, insets) have clearly revealed network-like structures of three fulleropeptide esters, 9, 11, and 12, obtained at this concentration, indicating the morphology dependence of the investigated compounds on the peptide concentration. It was shown that the longer peptide chain facilitates the formation of a network structure as a consequence of stronger, arranged interparticle associations. The solid samples of the control compound 1, obtained by precipitation from a CHCl3/CS2 solution with solvents of different polarity (i.e., MeOH, Et2O or hexane, on a brass substrate), gave well-organized particles only with the polar solvent, MeOH, indicating an influence of hydrogen bond formation on self-assembly even during fast aggregation. Compared with the randomly scattered, rod-like, self-organized particles of Fp–GABA ester 1 (, with lengths up to 9 μm), the representative SEM images of the solid samples of all the investigated derivatives () revealed very large, hierarchically arranged, supramolecular, round-shaped assemblies of leafy structures, with diameters ranging from 1 to 15 μm in the form of: flowers (, 5, ≈7 μm), spiral objects (, 8, ≈15 μm), and artichoke-shaped objects (, 10, ≈15 μm). The SEM images of all the investigated solid samples are presented in Supporting Information File 1, Figure S2.
Figure 4 Representatives of the SEM images of the self-organized rods of Fp–GABA ester 1 (A) and fulleropeptides self-assembled particles: flower (B, 5), spiral-shaped object (C, 8), and artichoke-shaped object (D, 10) prepared from the solid samples deposited on a brass substrate. Scale bars correspond to 10 μm.
The morphological differences of the self-organized fulleropeptide particles and the control compound without the peptide moiety studied here, demonstrate the influence of hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions associated with the peptide moiety. This, together with the intermolecular, non-covalent π–π interactions of the fullerene moiety, affects the supramolecular cohesion of fulleropeptide assemblies. The proposed self-assembly path of amphiphilic fulleropeptide esters into spherical particles, their gradual growth to rods or curled leaves, and the final network and artichoke-shaped microstructures are shown in .
Figure 5 Schematic illustration of the proposed formation of different self-assembled microstructures starting from the fulleropeptide spherical nanoparticles.