Exploring the Impact of Phenanthroline-Based Glycoconjugated Ru(II) Polypyridyl Photosensitizers on Metastasis-Related Processes Elena de la Torre‐Rubio, María‐Selma Arias‐Pérez, Lourdes Gude, Tomás Cuenca, Cristina García‐Iriepa, et al. Chemistry A European Journal, 2025 Novel water‐soluble, phosphorescent ruthenium(II) polypyridyl‐glycoconjugates of general formula [Ru{N‐(1,10‐phenanthroline)}2{N‐(1,10‐phenanthrolin‐5‐yl)‐β‐glycopyranosylamine}][Cl]2 (glycopyranosyl = D‐glucopyranosyl (1), D‐mannopyranosyl (2), L‐rhamnopyranosyl (3), L‐xylopyranosyl (4), and 2,3,4‐tri‐O‐acetyl‐L‐xylopyranosyl (5)) and corresponding aglycone [Ru{N‐(1,10‐phenanthroline)}2{N‐(1,10‐phenanthrolin‐5‐amine)}][Cl]2 (6) have been synthesized and fully characterized. Their stability and behavior in physiological media have been assessed using ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV‐Vis) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR), revealing minor N‐glycosidic cleavage and high photostability. The photocytotoxicity of the complexes has been evaluated in two different cancer (PC‐3 and MCF‐7) and one nontumorigenic (HFF‐1) cell lines. While exhibiting no toxicity in the dark, some glycoconjugates achieve photoselectivity indexes of up to 40 upon blue‐light irradiation. Remarkably, complexes 1–6 potently affect the metastatic phenotype of PC‐3 cells, evidenced by the inhibition of migration in the wound healing assay and the increased resistance to trypsin detachment following photoactivation.
Fluorescent Vitamin B12–Platinum(II) Derivatives as Potential Metallotheranostic Agents for the Treatment and Imaging of Tumors Rozan Mehder, Elena de la Torre-Rubio, Isabel de la Cueva-Alique, Ciaran O’Malley, Adrián Pérez-Redondo, et al. Inorganics, 2024 Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) is an essential nutrient with very low bioavailability. Compared with normal cells, tumor cells show an increased demand for vitamin B12 to support their abnormal proliferation, which is a feature that can be exploited for the tumor-specific delivery of therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents by functionalizing vitamin B12 with suitable metallodrugs and/or luminescent probes. In this context, we report on the design of fluorescent vitamin B12–metal conjugates of the type [FLUO–B12–{M}] in which cyanocobalamin is functionalized at the 5′-site of the ribose unit with a fluorophore (FLUO: rhodamine 6G), whereas the Co(III)–cyano moiety is N-coordinated to a metal-based anticancer scaffold ({M}: Pt(II) substrate bearing enantiopure phenylamino-oxime ligands derived from R- or S-limonene). Two novel fluorescent cyanocobalamin–platinum(II) derivatives and their corresponding non-fluorescent counterparts were successfully generated and fully characterized, including the evaluation of their lipophilicity and luminescent properties. Although they exhibit low antiproliferative activity (IC50 = 40–70 μM), both fluorescent vitamin B12–platinum(II) conjugates showed an enhanced capability to inhibit cell viability compared with the inactive metal precursors and the non-fluorescent vitamin B12–platinum(II) analogues, confirming the beneficial effect of functionalization with the rhodamine 6G scaffold not only for imaging purposes but also with the aim of improving their biological activity.
