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Chen M, Zhu Q, Zhang Z, Chen Q, Yang H. Recent Advances in Photosensitizer Materials for Light-Mediated Tumor Therapy. Chem Asian J 2024; 19:e202400268. [PMID: 38578217 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202400268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an emerging therapeutic method has drawn much attention in the treatment field for cancer. Photosensitizer, which can convert photon energy into cytotoxic species under light irradiation, is the core component in PDT. The design of photosensitizers still faces problems of light absorption, targeting, penetration and oxygen dependence. With the rapid progress of material science, various photosensitizers have been developed to produce cytotoxic species for treatment of tumor with high selectivity, safety, and noninvasiveness. Besides, the applications of photosensitizers have been expanded to diverse cancer treatments such as drug release, optogenetics and immune checkpoint blockade. In this review, we summarize the recent advances of photosensitizers in various therapeutic methods for cancer. Prevailing challenges and further prospects associated with photosensitizers are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minle Chen
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China
| | - Qianru Zhu
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenzhen Zhang
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiushui Chen
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China
| | - Huanghao Yang
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China
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2
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Ballester F, Hernández-García A, Santana MD, Bautista D, Ashoo P, Ortega-Forte E, Barone G, Ruiz J. Photoactivatable Ruthenium Complexes Containing Minimal Straining Benzothiazolyl-1,2,3-triazole Chelators for Cancer Treatment. Inorg Chem 2024; 63:6202-6216. [PMID: 38385171 PMCID: PMC11005040 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c04432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Ruthenium(II) complexes containing diimine ligands have contributed to the development of agents for photoactivated chemotherapy. Several approaches have been used to obtain photolabile Ru(II) complexes. The two most explored have been the use of monodentate ligands and the incorporation of steric effects between the bidentate ligands and the Ru(II). However, the introduction of electronic effects in the ligands has been less explored. Herein, we report a systematic experimental, theoretical, and photocytotoxicity study of a novel series of Ru(II) complexes Ru1-Ru5 of general formula [Ru(phen)2(N∧N')]2+, where N∧N' are different minimal strained ligands based on the 1-aryl-4-benzothiazolyl-1,2,3-triazole (BTAT) scaffold, being CH3 (Ru1), F (Ru2), CF3 (Ru3), NO2 (Ru4), and N(CH3)2 (Ru5) substituents in the R4 of the phenyl ring. The complexes are stable in solution in the dark, but upon irradiation in water with blue light (λex = 465 nm, 4 mW/cm2) photoejection of the ligand BTAT was observed by HPLC-MS spectrometry and UV-vis spectroscopy, with t1/2 ranging from 4.5 to 14.15 min depending of the electronic properties of the corresponding BTAT, being Ru4 the less photolabile (the one containing the more electron withdrawing substituent, NO2). The properties of the ground state singlet and excited state triplet of Ru1-Ru5 have been explored using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations. A mechanism for the photoejection of the BTAT ligand from the Ru complexes, in H2O, is proposed. Phototoxicity studies in A375 and HeLa human cancer cell lines showed that the new Ru BTAT complexes were strongly phototoxic. An enhancement of the emission intensity of HeLa cells treated with Ru5 was observed in response to increasing doses of light due to the photoejection of the BTAT ligand. These studies suggest that BTAT could serve as a photocleavable protecting group for the cytotoxic bis-aqua ruthenium warhead [Ru(phen)2(OH2)2]2+.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco
J. Ballester
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Universidad
de Murcia and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), E-30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Alba Hernández-García
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Universidad
de Murcia and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), E-30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - M. Dolores Santana
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Universidad
de Murcia and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), E-30100 Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Pezhman Ashoo
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Universidad
de Murcia and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), E-30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Enrique Ortega-Forte
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Universidad
de Murcia and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), E-30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Giampaolo Barone
- Dipartimento
di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (SteBiCeF), Università degli Studi di Palermo, I-90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - José Ruiz
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Universidad
de Murcia and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), E-30100 Murcia, Spain
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Xie Z, Cao B, Zhao J, Liu M, Lao Y, Luo H, Zhong Z, Xiong X, Wei W, Zou T. Ion Pairing Enables Targeted Prodrug Activation via Red Light Photocatalysis: A Proof-of-Concept Study with Anticancer Gold Complexes. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:8547-8556. [PMID: 38498689 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c00408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Photocatalysis has found increasing applications in biological systems, for example, in localized prodrug activation; however, high-energy light is usually required without giving sufficient efficiency and target selectivity. In this work, we report that ion pairing between photocatalysts and prodrugs can significantly improve the photoactivation efficiency and enable tumor-targeted activation by red light. This is exemplified by a gold-based prodrug (1d) functionalized with a morpholine moiety. Such a modification causes 1d to hydrolyze in aqueous solution, forming a cationic species that tightly interacts with anionic photosensitizers including Eosin Y (EY) and Rose Bengal (RB), along with a significant bathochromic shift of absorption tailing to the far-red region. As a result, a high photoactivation efficiency of 1d by EY or RB under low-energy light was found, leading to an effective release of active gold species in living cells, as monitored by a gold-specific biosensor (GolS-mCherry). Importantly, the morpholine moiety, with pKa ∼6.9, in 1d brings in a highly pH-sensitive and preferential ionic interaction under a slightly acidic condition over the normal physiological pH, enabling tumor-targeted prodrug activation by red light irradiation in vitro and in vivo. Since a similar absorption change was found in other morpholine/amine-containing clinic drugs, photocages, and precursors of reactive labeling intermediates, it is believed that the ion-pairing strategy could be extended for targeted activation of different prodrugs and for mapping of an acidic microenvironment by low-energy light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiying Xie
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Anti-Infective Drug Discovery and Development, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Bei Cao
- Warshel Institute for Computational Biology, and General Education Division, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
- School of Education Sciences, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511453, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Moyi Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Anti-Infective Drug Discovery and Development, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yuhan Lao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Anti-Infective Drug Discovery and Development, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hejiang Luo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Anti-Infective Drug Discovery and Development, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhi Zhong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Anti-Infective Drug Discovery and Development, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xiaolin Xiong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Anti-Infective Drug Discovery and Development, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Wei Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Taotao Zou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Anti-Infective Drug Discovery and Development, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
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Yuan X, Xie Z, Zou T. Recent advances in hypoxia-activated compounds for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Bioorg Chem 2024; 144:107161. [PMID: 38306826 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Hypoxia, as a prevalent feature of solid tumors, is correlated with tumorigenesis, proliferation, and invasion, playing an important role in mediating the drug resistance and affecting the cancer treatment outcomes. Due to the distinct oxygen levels between tumor and normal tissues, hypoxia-targeted therapy has attracted significant attention. The hypoxia-activated compounds mainly depend on reducible organic groups including azo, nitro, N-oxides, quinones and azide as well as some redox-active metal complex that are selectively converted into active species by the increased reduction potential under tumor hypoxia. In this review, we briefly summarized our current understanding on hypoxia-activated compounds with a particular highlight on the recently developed prodrugs and fluorescent probes for tumor treatment and diagnosis. We have also discussed the challenges and perspectives of small molecule-based hypoxia-activatable prodrug for future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Yuan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhiying Xie
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Taotao Zou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Coordination Materials and Applications, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
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Wang L, Qian Y. A type I and II compatible vinyl-pyridine modified BODIPY dimer photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy in A-549 cells. Org Biomol Chem 2023; 21:7339-7350. [PMID: 37642553 DOI: 10.1039/d3ob01130e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, the vinyl-pyridine group was used to modify the BODIPY dimer photosensitizer (T-BDP2) to obtain a VP-BDP2 photosensitizer. Compared with the T-BDP2 photosensitizer, the VP-BDP2 photosensitizer could work under pure water conditions, the singlet oxygen yield was increased from 9.38% to 22.2%, the charge transfer rate was increased from about 30 ps to about 10 ps, and the red emission was enhanced in fluorescence imaging. In addition, the VP-BDP2 photosensitizer could also generate the superoxide radical (O2˙-) under pure water conditions. The ROS generation mechanism of the VP-BDP2 photosensitizer was considered to be the spin-orbit charge-transfer intersystem crossing (SOCT-ISC) mechanism, which was verified by fs-transient absorption spectra and theoretical calculation. In the photodynamic therapy of A-549 cells, the VP-BDP2 photosensitizers could generate singlet oxygen and superoxide radicals (O2˙-) under biological conditions, and showed high phototoxicity with the IC50 value at 12.1 μM under light at 525 nm. Additionally, the multiple dipolar configuration meant that the VP-BDP2 photosensitizer could be used in two-photon fluorescence zebrafish imaging under 800 nm excitation, which sets the stage for future two-photon photodynamic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingfeng Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
| | - Ying Qian
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China.
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Yang Z, Bian M, Lv L, Chang X, Wen Z, Li F, Lu Y, Liu W. Tumor-Targeting NHC-Au(I) Complex Induces Immunogenic Cell Death in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Med Chem 2023; 66:3934-3952. [PMID: 36827091 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a promising direction of cancer immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A series of novel NHC-Au(I) complexes derived from 4,5-diarylimidazole, containing glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) as an efficient targeting ligand for HCC, were herein designed and synthesized. Among these, complex 4C exhibited excellent effectiveness for tumor targeting and antitumor activity, which induced the occurrence of ICD in HCC cells. Additionally, 4C can effectively inhibit TrxR enzyme activity, increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) expression, lead to redox homeostasis disorder, mediate mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), and cause the characteristic discharge of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) in HCC cells. More importantly, 4C showed a great ICD-inducing effect in a vaccination mouse model and activated antitumor immunity in a tumor-bearing C57BL/6 mouse model, which is consistent with the in vitro results. In conclusion, we found the potential of Au(I) complex with HCC-targeted capability for effective tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhibin Yang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Entomological Biopharmaceutical R&D, Dali University, Dali 671000, P. R. China
| | - Mianli Bian
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Lin Lv
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Xingyu Chang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Zhenfan Wen
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Fuwei Li
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Yunlong Lu
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
| | - Wukun Liu
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, P. R. China
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Au(III) Cyclometallated Compounds with 2-Arylpyridines and Their Derivatives or Analogues: 34 Years (1989–2022) of NMR and Single Crystal X-ray Studies. INORGANICS 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/inorganics11030100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A review paper on Au(III) cyclometallated compounds with 2-arylpyridines (2-phenylpyridine, 2-benzylpyridine, 2-benzoylpyridine, 2-phenoxypyridine, 2-phenylsulfanylpyridine, 2-anilinopyridine, 2-(naphth-2-yl)pyridine, 2-(9,9-dialkylfluoren-2-yl)pyridines, 2-(dibenzofuran-4-yl)pyridine, and their derivatives) and their analogues (2-arylquinolines, 1- and 3-arylisoquinolines, 7,8-benzoquinoline), with 113 references. A total of 554 species, containing κ2-N(1),C(6′)*-Au(III), or analogous moiety (i.e., chelated by nitrogen of the pyridine-like ring and the deprotonated ortho- carbon of the phenyl-like ring) and, thus, possessing a character intermediate between metal complexes and organometallics, studied in the years 1989–2022 by NMR spectroscopy and/or single crystal X-ray diffraction (207 X-ray structures), are described. The compounds for which biological or catalytic activity and the luminescence properties were studied are also quoted.
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