Book of Abstracts - Ruhr-Universität Bochum

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ISBOMC `10 5.7 – 9.7. 2010 Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Arene-Ruthenium Metalla-Prisms: New Drug Vectors
Nicolas Barry a and Bruno Therrien *a
a University of Neuchatel, Faculty of Science, Institute of Chemistry, 51 Ave de Bellevaux, 2000,
Neuchatel, Switzerland. E-mail: bruno.therrien@unine.ch
Based on “enhanced permeability and retention” (EPR) effect, passive targeting of tumours appears as
a promising solution against the general toxicity, resistance mechanisms and side effects of classical
chemotherapeutics. 1 Thus, large drug delivery systems offer in general a better selectivity as compared
to small molecules. Large drug delivery vectors include micelles, nanoparticles and dendrimers;
however, we proposed some years ago a new type of water soluble capsule built from arene-ruthenium
units. These intrinsic cytotoxic metalla-prismatic cages allowed encapsulation of palladium or
platinum complexes inside their cavities, 2 as well as the encapsulation of aromatic molecules. 3
Moreover, the uptake of encapsulated molecule into cancer cells via fluorescence microscopy was also
studied. 4
Host-guest properties have been recently observed with a slightly different arene-ruthenium metallaprism,
which does not really change neither the uptake of the guest into cancer cells nor the
cytotoxicity. However, fluorescence microscopy assays seem to show a faster release of the guest
molecule inside cancer cells, thus opening new perspectives for these metalla-cages. These new results
will be the focus of this presentation.
References
1. Y. Matsumura, H. Maeda, Cancer Res. 1986, 46, 6387.
2. B. Therrien, G. Süss-Fink, P. Govindaswamy, A. K. Renfrew, P. J. Dyson, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
2008, 47, 3773.
3. J. Mattsson, P. Govindaswamy, J. Furrer, S. Sei, K. Yamaguchi, G. Süss-Fink, B. Therrien,
Organometallics 2008, 27, 4346.
4. O. Zava, J. Mattsson, B. Therrien, P. J. Dyson, Chem. Eur. J. 2010, 16, 1428.
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