Fullerene (C & C)-Meso-Tris-4-Carboxyphenyl Porphyrin Dyads Inhibit Entry of Wild-Type and Drug-Resistant HIV-1 Clades B and C.

The biological applications of noncationic porphyrin-fullerene (P-F) dyads as anti-HIV agents have been limited despite the established use of several cationic P-F dyads as anti-cancer photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents. This article explores the potential of amphiphilic non-cationic porphyrin-fullerene dyads as HIV-1 inhibitors under both PDT (light-treated) and non-PDT (dark) conditions. The amphiphilic P-F dyads, PBC and PBC, demonstrated enhanced efficacy in inhibiting the entry and production of HIV-1 (subtypes B and C).