Affiliation:
1. State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals Dalian University of Technology 2 Linggong Road, Hi‐Tech Zone Dalian 116024 China
2. Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry Anhui Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology Department of Polymer Science and Engineering University of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230026 China
Abstract
AbstractSmall‐molecule ruthenium (Ru) complexes exhibit limitations in terms of nonspecific delivery, rapid metabolism, and low tumor accumulation. Their delivery can be improved through physical encapsulation into nanocarriers via hydrophobic forces, metallophilic interactions, or π–π stacking interactions. However, delivering Ru complexes for efficient therapy is substantially hindered by potential leakage of drugs, low drug‐loading capacity, or batch‐to‐batch variations. Moreover, current metalloprodrug‐based self‐delivery systems necessitate supramolecular interactions, which are unsuitable for Ru complexes because of their octahedral structures. Herein, two self‐assembled molecular Ru drugs, Ru‐3XOEG and Ru‐PEG, are reported. Ru‐3XOEG involves a three‐arm dendritic oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG), while Ru‐PEG involves a linear poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain. Furthermore, these drugs contain an anticancer Ru moiety and a planar pyrene moiety to render hydrophobic forces and π–π stacking supramolecular interactions. Ru‐3XOEG self‐assembles into large compound micelles. Ru‐PEG self‐assembles into vesicles. These Ru‐containing self‐delivered systems exhibit well‐defined structures, high Ru loading contents, and long circulation in blood without external nanocarriers. Red light irradiation induces the release of Ru‐H2O anticancer agents and the generation of 1O2 to inhibit tumor growth. The presented design of self‐assembled molecular Ru complexes opens avenues for the concept of self‐delivered metalloprodrugs.
Funder
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Subject
Electrochemistry,Condensed Matter Physics,Biomaterials,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials