Issue 32, 2012

Iridium(iii) complexes as therapeutic and bioimaging reagents for cellular applications

Abstract

There is an emerging interest in applying inorganic and organometallic transition metal complexes to biomolecular and cellular studies. The cytotoxic effects of these complexes on various cancer and normal cells have been examined. Many of these complexes display intense, long-lived, and environment-sensitive emission, rendering them useful live-cell imaging reagents. Of particular interest are iridium(III) complexes, which possess a diversity of molecular structures with intriguing biological activity and photophysical properties. In this review article, we summarize recent work using iridium(III) complexes as anticancer drugs and cellular imaging reagents. We focus on the cytotoxic activity, cellular uptake efficiency and mechanisms, and intracellular distribution properties of these complexes. Additionally, we describe the applications of luminescent iridium(III) complexes in intracellular sensing for ions and small molecules, gene-delivery, and cancer cell detection.

Graphical abstract: Iridium(iii) complexes as therapeutic and bioimaging reagents for cellular applications

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
17 May 2012
Accepted
11 Sep 2012
First published
17 Sep 2012

RSC Adv., 2012,2, 12069-12083

Iridium(III) complexes as therapeutic and bioimaging reagents for cellular applications

K. K. Lo and K. Y. Zhang, RSC Adv., 2012, 2, 12069 DOI: 10.1039/C2RA20967E

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