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Lee LCC, Lo KKW. Shining New Light on Biological Systems: Luminescent Transition Metal Complexes for Bioimaging and Biosensing Applications. Chem Rev 2024; 124:8825-9014. [PMID: 39052606 PMCID: PMC11328004 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00629] [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: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Luminescence imaging is a powerful and versatile technique for investigating cell physiology and pathology in living systems, making significant contributions to life science research and clinical diagnosis. In recent years, luminescent transition metal complexes have gained significant attention for diagnostic and therapeutic applications due to their unique photophysical and photochemical properties. In this Review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the recent development of luminescent transition metal complexes for bioimaging and biosensing applications, with a focus on transition metal centers with a d6, d8, and d10 electronic configuration. We elucidate the structure-property relationships of luminescent transition metal complexes, exploring how their structural characteristics can be manipulated to control their biological behavior such as cellular uptake, localization, biocompatibility, pharmacokinetics, and biodistribution. Furthermore, we introduce the various design strategies that leverage the interesting photophysical properties of luminescent transition metal complexes for a wide variety of biological applications, including autofluorescence-free imaging, multimodal imaging, organelle imaging, biological sensing, microenvironment monitoring, bioorthogonal labeling, bacterial imaging, and cell viability assessment. Finally, we provide insights into the challenges and perspectives of luminescent transition metal complexes for bioimaging and biosensing applications, as well as their use in disease diagnosis and treatment evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence Cho-Cheung Lee
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Limited, Units 1503-1511, 15/F, Building 17W, Hong Kong Science Park, New Territories, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Kenneth Kam-Wing Lo
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Terahertz and Millimeter Waves, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P. R. China
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Nao SC, Kong L, Chan DSH, Liu J, Huang LS, Wu L, Wu J, Wong CY, Wang W, Leung CH. Covalent inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor using a long-lived iridium(III)-afatinib probe. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 259:129211. [PMID: 38184034 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129211] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
The overexpression and overactivation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are frequently observed in human cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. In this study, a covalent EGFR probe was developed by conjugating afatinib to an iridium(III) scaffold. Complex 1 showed enhanced luminescence in living epidermoid squamous carcinoma A431 cells compared to other cell lines, via engaging EGFR as confirmed via CETSA and knockdown experiments. Moreover, complex 1 inhibited downstream targets of EGFR in cellulo with repression persisting after removal of the complex, indicating an irreversible mode of inhibition. Finally, complex 1 showed potent antiproliferative activity against A431 cells with comparable potency to afatinib alone. To our knowledge, complex 1 is the first EGFR covalent inhibitor based on an iridium scaffold reported in the literature, with the potential to be further explored as a theranostic agent in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Cuo Nao
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau
| | - Lingtan Kong
- Institute of Medical Research, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 127 West Youyi Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710072, China
| | - Daniel Shiu-Hin Chan
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Jianhua Liu
- Institute of Medical Research, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 127 West Youyi Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710072, China
| | - Le-Sheng Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau
| | - Lei Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau
| | - Jia Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau
| | - Chun-Yuen Wong
- Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
| | - Wanhe Wang
- Institute of Medical Research, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 127 West Youyi Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710072, China; Research & Development Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University in Shenzhen, 45 South Gaoxin Road, Shenzhen 518057, China.
| | - Chung-Hang Leung
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau; Macao Centre for Research and Development in Chinese Medicine, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau; MoE Frontiers Science Centre for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau.
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