👤 Wu XY

In recent years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) and gas therapy (GT) have emerged as research hotspots due to their excellent cancer treatment efficacy. By combining the advantages of both, the simultaneous and controllable release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) has become a possibility. This paper describes the design of two Ru(II) complexes, [Ru(bpy)₂(NFIP)](PF₆)₂ (Ru1, bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, NFIP = 4-nitro-3-trifluoromethylaniline-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline) and [Ru(phen)₂(NFIP)](PF₆)₂ (Ru2, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), through the integration of the polypyridyl ruthenium structure and a photoresponsive NO donor. The structures and purity of the complexes were confirmed by several methods, including ¹H NMR, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and UV-Vis absorption spectra. Both complexes were demonstrated to efficiently generate singlet oxygen (¹O₂) (Φ_Δ = 0.40 and 0.44 in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) for Ru1 and Ru2, respectively) and release NO under visible light irradiation. Upon light exposure, Ru2 exhibited significant phototoxicity against human cervical cancer HeLa cells. In vitro experiments indicated that Ru2 elevated the levels of ROS and NO in HeLa cells when exposed to light, resulting in mitochondrial impairment and caspase-mediated cell death. Overall, Ru2 proves to be a potent phototherapeutic compound, capable of producing ROS and NO, thus providing precision in cancer phototherapy. Show less

Acute leukemia, a cancer originating in the bone marrow and blood-forming tissues, poses a significant threat to human health. Chemotherapy may cause a range of side effects and further cause greater suffering to the patients. Thus, reducing the toxicity of the drugs for treating leukemia has become a significant challenge. In this study, we developed two non‑platinum anticancer agents, ole-Ru and ole-Ir, by fusing the natural product oleanolic acid as the ligand into two metal (ruthenium and iridium) precursors. Ole-Ru and ole-Ir not only exhibited remarkable selectivity and cytotoxicity against NB4 cells through the apoptosis pathway, but also demonstrated low toxicity towards normal lung fibroblast cells, suggesting their potential for targeted treatment of acute leukemia cells. This work presents a rational design strategy for metal-based anticancer complexes aimed at inhibiting NB4 cells and expanded the scope of metallodrugs used in the treatment of leukemia. Show less

The design and synthesis of a series of metal complexes formed by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ibuprofen (IBP) and iridium(III), with the molecular formula [Ir(C^N)₂bpy(4-CH₂OIBP-4'-CH₂OIBP)](PF₆) (Ir-IBP-1, Ir-IBP-2) (C^N = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy, Ir-IBP-1), 2-(2-thienyl)pyridine (thpy, Ir-IBP-2)) was introduced in this article. Firstly, it was found that the anti-proliferative activity of these complexes was more effective than that of cisplatin. Further research showed that Ir-IBP-1 and Ir-IBP-2 can accumulate in intracellular mitochondria, thereby disrupting mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), blocking the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, and inducing cell apoptosis. In terms of protein expression, the expression of COX-2, MMP-9, NLRP3 and Caspase-1 proteins can be downregulated, indicating their ability to anti-inflammatory and overcome immune evasion. Furthermore, Ir-IBP-1 and Ir-IBP-2 can induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) by triggering the release of cell surface calreticulin (CRT), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Overall, iridium(III)-IBP conjugates exhibit various anti-tumor mechanisms, including mitochondrial damage, cell cycle arrest, inflammatory suppression, and induction of ICD. Show less

Title: Iridium(III) complexes conjugated with naproxen exhibit potent anti-tumor activities by inducing mitochondrial damage, modulating inflammation, and enhancing immunity. Abstract: A series of Ir(III)-naproxen (NPX) conjugates with the molecular formula [Ir(C^N)2bpy(4-CH2ONPX-4'-CH2ONPX)](PF6) (Ir-NPX-1-3) were designed and synthesized, including C^N = 2-phenylpyridine (ppy, Ir-NPX-1), 2-(2-thienyl)pyridine (thpy, Ir-NPX-2) and 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine (dfppy, Ir-NPX-3). Cytotoxicity tests showed that Ir-NPX-1-3 exhibited excellent antitumor activity, especially in A549R cells. The cellular uptake experiment showed that the complexes were mainly localized in mitochondria, and induced apoptosis in A549R cells by damaging the structure and function of mitochondria. The main manifestations are a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, Ir-NPX-1-3 could inhibit the migration and colony formation of cancer cells, demonstrating potential anti-metastatic ability. Finally, the anti-inflammatory and immunological applications of Ir-NPX-1-3 were verified. The downregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression levels and the release of immunogenic cell death (ICD) related signaling molecules such as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) (cell surface calreticulin (CRT), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)) indicate that these Ir(III) -NPX conjugates are novel ICD inducers with synergistic effects in multiple anti-tumor pathways. Show less

Organometallic iridium complexes are potent anticancer candidates which act through different mechanisms from cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimens. Here, ten phosphorescent cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes containing 2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid and its diester derivatives as ligands are designed and synthesized. The modification by ester group, which can be hydrolysed by esterase, facilitates the adjustment of drug-like properties. The quantum yields and emission lifetimes are influenced by variation of the ester substituents on the Ir(III) complexes. The cytotoxicity of these Ir(III) complexes is correlated with the length of their ester groups. Among them, 4a and 4b are found to be highly active against a panel of cancer cells screened, including cisplatin-resistant cancer cells. Mechanism studies in vitro indicate that they undergo hydrolysis of ester bonds, accumulate in mitochondria, and induce a series of cell-death related events mediated by mitochondria. Furthermore, 4a and 4b can induce pro-death autophagy and apoptosis simultaneously. Our study indicates that ester modification is a simple and feasible strategy to enhance the anticancer potency of Ir(III) complexes. Show less

Radiation has large influence on the cytotoxicity, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. The bioactivity of ruthenium(II) complex [Ru(dmb)2(DBHIP)](ClO4)2 (Ru1) (DBHIP=2-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxylphenyl)imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline) was investigated in the absence and presence of radiation. The cytotoxicity of Ru1 against MG-63 cells was evaluated by CCK-8 method. Ru1 shows high cytotoxicity upon radiation. Radiation can enhance the cytotoxicity of Ru1 on MG-63 cells. The apoptosis was studied by Hoechst 33258 staining method and flow cytometry. The reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial membrane potential, cell cycle arrest and western blot analysis were investigated in detail. The complex induces the apoptosis in MG-63 cells through ROS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction pathway. Show less

Three new ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes [Ru(bpy)(2)(BHIP)](2+) 1, [Ru(phen)(2)(BHIP)](2+) 2, and [Ru(dip)(2)(BHIP)](2+) 3 were synthesized and characterized. The cytotoxicity of the three complexes was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The apoptosis induced by the complexes was studied by cell morphology and flow cytometry. The results showed that the percentage of apoptotic cells is 7.19%, 75.58%, and 3.51% in the presence of complexes 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The cellular uptakes were also performed and the results indicated that complexes 1, 2, and 3 can enter into the cytoplasm and also into the nucleus. The studies on antiproliferative mechanism showed the induction of S-phase arrest by complexes 1, 2, and 3. DNA-binding constants of these complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) were determined to be 1.07 (± 0.47) × 10(5) M(-1) (s = 2.04), 1.21 (± 0.32) × 10(5) M(-1) (s = 1.88), and 2.75 (± 0.27) × 10(5) M(-1) (s = 2.17), respectively. Upon irradiation at 365 nm, complexes 1, 2, and 3 can induce cleavage of pBR322 DNA. Show less