TY - JOUR
T1 - Supramolecular self-assemblies of Ru(ii) phototherapeutics
T2 - biological activity of micro- and nano-particles acting as reservoirs
AU - Laisney, Jérôme
AU - Kriger, Sarah M.
AU - Havrylyuk, Dmytro
AU - Unrine, Jason M.
AU - Heidary, David K.
AU - Glazer, Edith C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2026
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Ruthenium(ii) coordination complexes have many appealing properties as prodrugs, but can suffer from poor aqueous solubility and short circulation times, drastically decreasing efficiency in vivo. Nanoformulations using a variety of carriers, such as inclusion in polymers/lipids or adsorption on inorganic nanoparticles have been applied to overcome this limitation, but unfortunately, these approaches raise additional concerns regarding the fate of the carriers, with potential long-term toxicity and accumulation in vital organs. Here, we present an alternative delivery strategy with formation of pure and polymer-supported supramolecular self-assemblies of Ru(ii) complexes acting as “reservoirs”. A facile preparation of size-controlled particles was achieved using a controlled precipitation method, and the approach was validate using [Ru(bpy)3](PF6)2 (bpy: 2,2′-bipyridine) and [Ru(bpy)2(dmbpy)](PF6)2 (dmbpy: 6,6′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine) as agents for photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT). Negatively-charged particles ranging from tens of nanometers to micron scale were obtained by controlling just temperature and precipitation in the presence of confining polymers. Dissolution rate, biological activity, cellular uptake, and localization were evaluated in vitro in the dark or after light activation and revealed the progressive dissolution of the particles, associated with a gradual and sustained cellular uptake compared to the soluble molecule form. Leveraging the ability of the [Ru(bpy)3] to act as a 1O2 photocatalyst for deposition of an osmiophilic polymer, electron microscopy was performed and illustrated the delivery of the dissolved complex inside the nucleus of cells. These results open new possibilities for the pure micro- or polymer-supported nano- formulation of Ru-based compounds, and provide a strategy for evaluation of subcellular localization using electron microscopy.
AB - Ruthenium(ii) coordination complexes have many appealing properties as prodrugs, but can suffer from poor aqueous solubility and short circulation times, drastically decreasing efficiency in vivo. Nanoformulations using a variety of carriers, such as inclusion in polymers/lipids or adsorption on inorganic nanoparticles have been applied to overcome this limitation, but unfortunately, these approaches raise additional concerns regarding the fate of the carriers, with potential long-term toxicity and accumulation in vital organs. Here, we present an alternative delivery strategy with formation of pure and polymer-supported supramolecular self-assemblies of Ru(ii) complexes acting as “reservoirs”. A facile preparation of size-controlled particles was achieved using a controlled precipitation method, and the approach was validate using [Ru(bpy)3](PF6)2 (bpy: 2,2′-bipyridine) and [Ru(bpy)2(dmbpy)](PF6)2 (dmbpy: 6,6′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine) as agents for photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT). Negatively-charged particles ranging from tens of nanometers to micron scale were obtained by controlling just temperature and precipitation in the presence of confining polymers. Dissolution rate, biological activity, cellular uptake, and localization were evaluated in vitro in the dark or after light activation and revealed the progressive dissolution of the particles, associated with a gradual and sustained cellular uptake compared to the soluble molecule form. Leveraging the ability of the [Ru(bpy)3] to act as a 1O2 photocatalyst for deposition of an osmiophilic polymer, electron microscopy was performed and illustrated the delivery of the dissolved complex inside the nucleus of cells. These results open new possibilities for the pure micro- or polymer-supported nano- formulation of Ru-based compounds, and provide a strategy for evaluation of subcellular localization using electron microscopy.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025132180
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=105025132180&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1039/d5tb01785h
DO - 10.1039/d5tb01785h
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105025132180
SN - 2050-750X
JO - Journal of Materials Chemistry B
JF - Journal of Materials Chemistry B
ER -