Sawhorse-type diruthenium tetracarbonyl complexes containing porphyrin-derived ligands as highly selective photosensitizers for female reproductive cancer cells

Identification of a novel mechanism for meso-tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP) uptake in cancer cells

Porphyrins are used for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applications, but the mechanism of how porphyrins accumulate in cancer cells remains elusive. Knowledge of how porphyrins enter cancer cells can aid the development of more accurate cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. To gain insight into porphyrin uptake mechanisms in cancer cells, we developed a flow cytometry assay to quantify cellular uptake of meso-tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP), a porphyrin that is currently being developed for cancer diagnostics. We found that TCPP enters cancer cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis. The LDL receptor, previously implicated in the cellular uptake of other porphyrins, only contributes modestly to uptake. We report that TCPP instead binds strongly ( K D = 42 nM ) to CD320, the cellular receptor for cobalamin/transcobalamin II (Cbl/TCN2). Additionally, TCPP competes with Cbl/TCN2 for CD320 binding, suggesting that CD320 is a novel receptor for TCPP. Knockdown of CD320 inhibits TCPP uptake by up to 40% in multiple cancer cell lines, including lung, breast, and prostate cell lines, which supports our hypothesis that CD320 both binds to and transports TCPP into cancer cells. Our findings provide some novel insights into why porphyrins concentrate in cancer cells. Additionally, our study describes a novel function for the CD320 receptor which has been reported to transport only Cbl/TCN2 complexes.

Chemical approaches for the enhancement of porphyrin skeleton-based photodynamic therapy

With the development of photodynamic therapy (PDT), remarkable studies have been conducted to generate photosensitisers (PSs), especially porphyrin PSs. A variety of chemical modifications of the porphyrin skeleton have been introduced to improve cellular delivery, stability, and selectivity for cancerous tissues. This review aims to highlight the developments in porphyrin-based structural modifications, with a specific emphasis on the role of PDT in anticancer treatment and the design of PSs to achieve a synergistic effect on multiple targets.

Synthesis, Structural and Physicochemical Properties of Water-Soluble Mixed-Ligand Diruthenium Complexes Containing Anilinopyridinate Bridging Ligands

A series of water-soluble Ru₂⁵⁺ complexes of the type Ru₂(O₂CCH₃)₃(L)Cl where L = 2,3,4,5,6-F₅ap, 2,4,6-F₃ap, 2-Fap, ap, 2-Meap, 2,6-Me₂ap, or 2,4,6-Me₃ap, where ap is the anilinopyridinate anion, have been characterized as to their structural and physicochemical properties in H₂O and DMSO. Five of the newly synthesized complexes were structurally characterized, and the Ru-Cl bond lengths range from 2.477 to 2.544 Å while the Ru-Ru bond lengths range from 2.2838 to 2.2935 Å. The UV-vis spectra of each compound are characterized by three absorption bands in both H₂O and DMSO, the intensity and position of which vary with both the type of bridging ligand and the solvent. The seven examined Ru₂⁵⁺ complexes exist as 1:1 electrolytes in water, and each undergoes a reversible one-electron reduction assigned to Ru₂⁵⁺/Ru₂⁴⁺ in both investigated solvents. A second irreversible reduction attributed to Ru₂⁴⁺/Ru₂³⁺ is also observed for each compound at more negative potentials in DMSO. A linear free energy relationship exists between the sum of the Hammett substituent constants (Σσ) on the ap-type bridging ligand and the wavenumber of an absorption band for the Ru₂⁵⁺ complexes. A linear relationship is also seen between Σσ and measured E_1/2 values for the Ru₂⁵⁺/Ru₂⁴⁺ process in water containing 0.1 M KCl, but little to no effect is seen between the specific bridging ligand and the structural features of the investigated compounds.

Synthesis, characterization, and photodynamic therapy activity of 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(carboxyl)porphyrin

Water-soluble porphyrins are considered promising drug candidates for photodynamic therapy (PDT). This study investigated the PDT activity of a new water-soluble, anionic porphyrin (1-Zn), which possesses four negative charges. The photodynamic anticancer activity of 1-Zn was investigated by the MTT assay, with mTHPC as a positive control. The cellular distribution was determined by fluorescence microscopy. Holographic and phase contrast images were recorded after 1-Zn treatment with a HoloMonitor™ M3 instrument. The inhibition of A549 cell growth achieved by inducing apoptosis was investigated by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. DNA damage was investigated by the comet assay. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins was also measured by western blot assays. 1-Zn had better phototoxicity against A549 cells than HeLa and HepG2 cancer cells. Interestingly, 1-Zn was clearly located almost entirely in the cell cytoplasmic region/organelles. The late apoptotic population was less than 1.0% at baseline in the untreated and only light-treated cells and increased to 40.5% after 1-Zn treatment and irradiation (P < 0.05). 1-Zn triggered significant ROS generation after irradiation, causing ΔΨm disruption (P < 0.01) and DNA damage. 1-Zn induced A549 cell apoptosis via the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. In addition, 1-Zn bound in the groove of DNA via an outside binding mode by pi-pi stacking and hydrogen bonding. 1-Zn exhibits good photonuclease activity and might serve as a potential photosensitizer (PS) for lung cancer cells.

Photo-activated CO-releasing molecules (PhotoCORMs) of robust sawhorse scaffolds [μ(2)-OOCR(1), η(1)-NH2CHR(2)(C = O] OCH3, Ru(I)2CO4]

A class of sawhorse-type ruthenium(i) complexes featuring a stable CORM sphere with diverse carboxylic and amino acid derivatives were synthesized and validated as lead structures for photo-activated CO-releasing molecules (PhotoCORMs). The CO release of these CORMs was triggered by 365 nm UV irradiation. Cell viability studies indicated that 3a and 3f were non-toxic both in the dark and in UV light, making them excellent lead structures for therapeutic CORMs.

Targeted and multifunctional arene ruthenium chemotherapeutics

The introduction of multifunctionalities for tumour targeting is becoming a popular strategy toward the development of new therapeutic agents. In particular, the multifaceted potential of ruthenium(II)-arene complexes show great promise as chemotherapeutics. An ever-increasing number of papers dealing with the integration of ruthenium complexes with biologically active molecules to derive bioorganometallic molecules of chemotherapeutic significance have been published in recent years. This perspective review presents a short overview of multifunctional ruthenium-based drugs, especially those containing arene ruthenium complexes, with the emphasis on the combination of photosensitizers with ruthenium complexes for the preparation of novel multifunctional photodynamic therapy agents.

Lipophilic rather than hydrophilic photosensitizers show strong adherence to standard cell culture microplates under cell-free conditions

Analysis of photosensitizer (PS) uptake kinetics into tumor cells is a standard cell culture experiment in photodynamic therapy (PDT) - usually performed in plastic microplates or petri dishes. Organic substances such as PS can potentially interact with the plastic surfaces. In this study, we provide a qualitative comparison of three lipophilic PS (hypericin, Foscan® and Photofrin®) and two rather hydrophilic PS formulations (PVP-hypericin and aluminum (III) phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate chloride) regarding their adherence to the surfaces of 96-well microplates obtained from four different manufacturers. For estimation of the relevance of PS adherence for cellular uptake studies we compared the fluorescence signal of the respective PS in microplates containing A431 human epithelial carcinoma cells with microplates incubated with the respective PS under cell-free conditions. We demonstrate that lipophilic PS substances show a strong adherence to microplates - in case of direct lysis and fluorescence measurement resulting in 50% up to 90% of the overall signal to be caused by adherence of the substances to the plastic materials in a cellular uptake experiment. For the hydrophilic compounds, adherence is negligible. Interestingly, adherence of PS agents to microplates takes place in a time-dependent and thus kinetic-like manner, requiring up to several hours to reach a plateau of the fluorescence signal. Furthermore, PS adherence is a function of the PS concentration applied and no saturation effect was observed for the concentrations used in this study. Taken together, this study provides a systematic analysis under which conditions PS adherence to cell culture plates may contribute to the overall fluorescence signal in - for example - PS uptake experiments.