A water-soluble β-cyclodextrin derivative possessing a fullerene tether as an efficient photodriven DNA-cleavage reagent

A simple synthetic route for a water-soluble cyclodextrin–fullerene conjugate based on the Diels–Alder reaction between anthryl-cyclodextrin and fullerene has been presented. Aided by the fascinating biochemical functions of fullerene, the resultant cyclodextrin-C60 conjugate displays a satisfactory DNA-cleavage ability under the visible-light irradiation.