Iridium photosensitizer constructed liposomes with hypoxia-activated prodrug to destrust hepatocellular carcinoma

Hypoxic tumor microenvironment is a major challenge for photodynamic therapy(PDT). To overcome this problem, PDT combined hypoxia-activated chemotherapy is a promising strategy for hypoxic cancer therapy. Herein, a multifunctional liposome(AQ4N-Ir1-sorafenib-liposome) is prepared by encapsulating a hypoxia-activated prodrug AQ4N, a photosensitizer iridium(III) complex and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) targeting drug sorafenib, for synergistic therapy of HCC. Ir1-mediated PDT upon irradiation ind...     

A novel lutetium(III) acetate phthalocyanine directly substituted with N,N’-dimethylaminophenyl groups via CC bonds and its water-soluble derivative for photodynamic therapy

In this study, the novel 4-(N,N′-dimethylamino)phenyl substituted lutetium(III) acetate phthalocyanine (2) and its quaternized derivative (3) were synthesized via a Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction between tetrakis(iodo) lutetium(III)acetate phthalocyanine (1) and 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)phenylboronic acid, and subsequent quaternization using dimethyl sulfate, respectively. The obtained phthalocyanine 3 exhibited excellent solubility in water which is important for photodynamic therapy applications. Photophysical properties such as fluorescence quantum yield and fluorescence lifetime, and photochemical properties such as singlet oxygen generation and photostability were investigated to determine their suitability for photodynamic therapy. The lutetium(III) phthalocyanines, especially quaternized derivative 3, showed promising properties as potential photosensitizers for the treatment of cancer, producing higher singlet oxygen (Φ_Δ = 0.59) than motexafin lutetium (Φ_Δ = 0.31) which is a clinically used lutetium texaphyrin photosensitizer.     

Effects of fluorine substituent on properties of cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes with a 2,2′-bipyridine ancillary ligand

Cationic cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes (Ir1-Ir5) with fluorine-substituted 2-phenylpyridine (ppy) derivatives as C^N cyclometalating ligands and 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) as the ancillary ligand, have been synthesized and fully characterized. The influences of the number and the position of fluorine atoms at the cyclometalating ligands on the photophysical, electrochemical and oxygen sensing properties of the Ir(III) complexes have been investigated systematically. The introduction of fluorine on the C^N cyclometalating ligands of the complexes results in blue-shifts of the maximum emission wavelengths, and increases in the photoluminescence quantum yields (Φ_PL), phosphorescence lifetimes and energy gaps, compared to the non-fluorinated [Ir(ppy)₂(bpy)]⁺PF₆^? (Ir0). Among them, 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)pyridine-derived Ir4 shows the maximum blue-shift (514 nm vs. 575 nm for Ir0) and the highest Φ_PL (50.8% vs. 6.5% for Ir0). The complex Ir3 with 2-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-fluoropyridine as C^N ligand exhibits the highest oxygen sensitivity and excellent operational stability in 10 cycles within 4000 s.     

Nucleus‐Targeted Organoiridium–Albumin Conjugate for Photodynamic Cancer Therapy

An organoiridium–albumin bioconjugate ( Ir1‐HSA ) was synthesized by reaction of a pendant maleimide ligand with human serum albumin. The phosphorescence of Ir1‐HSA was enhanced significantly compared to parent complex Ir1 . The long phosphorescence lifetime and high ¹O₂ quantum yield of Ir1‐HSA are highly favorable properties for photodynamic therapy. Ir1‐HSA mainly accumulated in the nucleus of living cancer cells and showed remarkable photocytotoxicity against a range of cancer cell lines and tumor spheroids (light IC₅₀; 0.8–5 μm , photo‐cytotoxicity index PI=40–60), while remaining non‐toxic to normal cells and normal cell spheroids, even after photo‐irradiation. This nucleus‐targeting organoiridium‐albumin is a strong candidate photosensitizer for anticancer photodynamic therapy.     

Novel iridium complex with carboxyl pyridyl ligand for dye-sensitized solar cells: High fluorescence intensity, high electron injection efficiency?

Novel iridium-based sensitizers Iridium(III) bis[2-phenylpyridinato-N,C^2′]-5-carboxylpicolinate) (Ir1), Iridium(III) bis[2-(naphthalen-1-yl) pyridinato-N,C^2′]-5-carboxyl-picolinate) (Ir2), Iridium(III) bis[2-phenylpyridinato-N,C^2′]-4,4′-(dicarboxylicacid)-2,2′-bipyridine (Ir3) were synthesized for sensitization of mesoscopic titanium dioxide injection solar cells. By changing the ligand, the absorption spectra can be extended and molar extinction coefficient was enhanced. The dye-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO₂ solar cells (DSSCs) based on dye Ir3 showed the best photovoltaic performance: a maximum monochromatic incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 85%, a short-circuit photocurrent density (J_sc) of 9.59 mA cm⁻², an open-circuit photovoltage (V_oc) of 0.552 V, and a fill factor (ff) of 0.54, corresponding to an overall conversion efficiency of 2.86% under AM 1.5 sun light. Moreover, the HOMO and LUMO energy levels tuning can be conveniently accomplished by alternating the ligand. The high oxidative potential of Ir3 enables it to be used along with redox electrolyte and the photovoltage was found to be enhanced greatly.     

Activation of C–H and H–H bonds by dinuclear iridium complexes. Oxidative addition to highly active unsaturated 32e− diiridium species

Reactions of [(Cp¹Ir)₂(μ-dmpm)(μ-H)₂][OTf]₂ (1) with NaO^tBu in aromatic solvent at room temperature give [(Cp¹Ir)(H)(μ-dmpm)(μ-H)(Cp¹Ir)(Ar)][OTf] [Ar = Ph (3), p-Tol (4a), m-Tol (4b), 2-furyl (5a), 3-furyl (5b)] via intermolecular aromatic C–H activation. Treatment of [(Cp¹Ir)₂(μ-dppm)(μ-H)₂][OTf]₂ (2) with weak base (Et₂NH) results in intramolecular C–H activation of a phenyl group in the dppm ligand to give [(Cp¹Ir)(H){μ-PPh(C₆H₄)CH₂PPh₂}(μ-H)(Cp¹Ir)][OTf] (6). Reaction of 1 with NaO^tBu in tetrahydrofuran under H₂ (1 atm) results in activation of the H–H bond to give [{(Cp¹Ir)(H)}₂(μ-dmpm)(μ-H)][OTf] (7). Reaction of 1 with NaO^tBu in dichloromethane under carbon monoxide (1 atm) gives a carbonyl-bridged Ir^II–Ir^II complex, [(Cp¹Ir)₂(μ-dmpm)(μ-H)(μ-CO)][OTf] (8-OTf). These results strongly suggest that the active species in C–H and H–H bond activation starting with 1 and 2 would be unsaturated 32e^? diiridium species. The structures of 3, 5a, 6, 7, and 8-BPh₄ have been determined by X-ray diffraction methods.     

A New Phosphorescent Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complex for the Selective Detection of Silver(I) Ion

A new cyclometalated iridium(III) complex, Ir(ppz)₂(dtp) (Ir1) (ppzH = 4-phenylphthalazinone, dtp = diethyl dithiophosphate), has been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The photoluminescence spectrum of Ir1 shows an emission maximum at 597 nm and its quantum yield is ca. 0.072. Complex Ir1 exhibits a strong and fast decrease of emission upon addition of Ag⁺ in aqueous media. The ratio of Ir1 responding to Ag⁺ was determined to be 1:1 by UV?CVis absorption and phosphorescent emission measurements. Complex Ir1 is a highly selective chemosensor for Ag⁺ over other transition metal ions.     

Construction of FRET-based metallacycles with efficient photosensitization efficiency and photocatalytic activity

The fabrication of highly effective photosensitizers has received considerable attention because of their attractive functions and applications in the fields of photodynamic therapy, photosynthesis, photocatalysis, etc. Thus, it is highly desirable to develop a new approach to enhance photosensitization efficiency. Herein, through coordination-driven self-assembly, a series of metallacycles with efficient fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) were effectively constructed, which displayed higher photosensitization efficiency and photocatalytic activity than their model metallacycles without FRET due to broadband absorption and singlet energy transfer from the energy acceptor to the energy donor. Moreover, iodization of fluorophores induced a significant enhancement of the photosensitization efficiency and photocatalytic activity of the metallacycles. This research provides an efficient strategy for improving photosensitization efficiency and a promising platform for the preparation of effective photosensitizers and photocatalysts.     

Development of Strong Visible-Light-Absorbing Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes for Robust and Efficient Light-Driven Hydrogen Production

Weak light absorption of common Ir(III) complexes (e. g., using phenylpyridine as the ligand) has hindered their applications in photocatalytic hydrogen generation from water as an efficient photosensitizer. To address this issue, a series of cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes (Ir1–Ir5), featuring different electron-donating substituents to enhance the absorptivity, have been synthesized and studied as photosensitizers (PSs) for light-driven hydrogen production from water. Ir6–Ir7 were prepared as fundamental systems for comparisons. Electron donors, including 9-phenylcarbazole, triphenylamine, 4,4′-dimethoxytriphenylamine, 4,4′-di(N-hexylcarbazole)triphenylamine moieties were introduced on 6-(thiophen-2-yl)phenanthridine-based cyclometalating (C^N) ligands to explore the donor effect on the hydrogen evolution performance of these cationic Ir(III) complexes. Remarkably, Ir4 with 4,4′-dimethoxytriphenylamine achieved the highest turn-over number (TON) of 12 300 and initial turnover frequency (TOF_i) of 394 h⁻¹, with initial activity (activity_i) of 547 000 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ and initial apparent quantum yield (AQY_i) of 9.59 %, under the illumination of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for 105 hours, which demonstrated a stable three-component photocatalytic system with high efficiency. The TON (based on n(H₂)/n(PSr)) in this study is the highest value reported to date among the similar photocatalytic systems using Ir(III) complexes with Pt nanoparticles as catalyst. The great potential of using triphenylamine-based Ir(III) PSs in boosting photocatalytic performance has also been shown.     

A novel series of iridium complexes with alkenylquinoline ligands: Theoretical study on electronic structure and spectroscopic property

The ground and the lowest-lying triplet excited state geometries, electronic structures, and spectroscopic properties of a novel series of neutral iridium(III) complexes with cyclometalated alkenylquinoline ligands [(C^N)₂Ir(acac)] (acac = acetoylacetonate; C^N = 2-[(E)-2-phenyl-1-ethenyl]pyridine (pep) 1; 2-[(E)-2-phenyl-1-ethenyl]quinoline (peq) 2; 1-[(E)-2-phenyl-1-ethenyl]isoquinoline (peiq) 3; 2-[(E)-1-propenyl]pyridine (pp) 4; 2-[(E)-1-fluoro-1-ethenyl]pyridine (fpp) 5) were investigated by DFT and CIS methods. The highest occupied molecular orbital is composed of d(Ir) and π(C^N) orbital, while the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital is dominantly localized on C^N ligand. Under the TD-DFT with PCM model level, the absorption and phosphorescence in CH₂Cl₂ media were calculated based on the optimized ground and triplet excited state geometries, respectively. The calculated lowest-lying absorptions at 437 nm (1), 481 nm (2), 487 nm (3), 422 nm (4), and 389 nm (5) are attributed to a {[d_x²-y²(Ir) + d_xz(Ir) + π(C^N)] → [π∗(C^N)]} transition with metal-to-ligand/intra-ligand charge transfer (MLCT/ILCT) characters, and the calculated phosphorescence at 582 nm (1), 607 nm (2), 634 nm (3), 515 nm (4), and 491 nm (5) can be described as originating from the ³{[d_x²-y²(Ir) + d_xz(Ir) + π (C^N)] [π∗(C^N)]} excited state with the ³MLCT/³ILCT characters. The calculated results revealed that the phosphorescent color of these new Ir(III) complexes can be tuned by changing the π-conjugation effect strength of the C^N ligand.     

Covalent organic frameworks with imine proton acceptors for efficient photocatalytic H2 production

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are promising crystalline materials for the light-driven hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to their tunable chemical structures and energy band gaps. However, deeply understanding corresponding mechanism is still challenging due to the multiple components and complicated electron transfer and reduction paths involved in photocatalytic HER. Here, the photocatalytic HER investigation has been reported based on three COFs catalysts, 1–3, which are prepared by benzo[1,2-b:3,4-b':5,6-b']trithiophene-2,5,8-trialdehyde to react with C₃ symmetric triamines including tris(4-aminophenyl)amine, 1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenyl)benzene, and (1,3,5-tris-(4-aminophenyl)triazine, respectively. As the isostructural hexagonal honeycomb-type COF of 2 and 3 reported previously, the crystal structure of 1 has been carefully correlated through the powder X-ray diffraction study with the help of theoretical simulations. 1 shows highly porous framework with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 1249 m²/g. Moreover, the introduction of ascorbic acid into the photocatalytic system of COFs achieves the hydrogen evolution rate of 3.75, 12.16 and 20.2 mmol g^–1 h^–1 for 1–3, respectively. The important role of ascorbic acid in photocatalysis of HER is disclosed to protonate the imine linkages of these COFs, leading to the obvious absorbance red-shift and the improved charge separation efficiency together with reduced resistance in contrast to pristine materials according to the spectroscopic and electronic characterizations. These innovations of chemical and physical properties for these COFs are responsible for their excellent photocatalytic performance. These results elucidate that tiny modifications of COFs structures is able to greatly tune their band structures as well as catalytic properties, therefore providing an available approach for optimizing COFs functionalities.     

Room-temperature C–H activation of the phosphino-ketone Ph2PCH2C(O)Ph leading to an iridium(III) complex with a hybrid phosphino-enolate ligand

The reaction of [Ir(cod)(μ-Cl)]₂ (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) with 2 equiv of the ketophosphine Ph₂PCH₂C(O)Ph in the presence of TlPF₆ afforded the hydrido, phosphino-enolate Ir(III) complex [IrH(cod){Ph₂PCH···C(···O)Ph,κP,κO}{Ph₂PCH₂C(O)Ph,κP}]PF₆ (4), which results from the room temperature activation of a C–H bond from the PCH₂ moiety. The distorted octahedral coordination environment around the metal centre in 4 contains the cod ligand, the P atom of the monodentate ketophosphine and the P,O donor atoms of a chelating phosphino-enolate ligand acting as a 3-electron donor. The hydride ligand was located on the difference Fourier map obtained by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies and is trans to the enolate oxygen and cis to the two, mutually cis P atoms. The reaction of this complex with NaH in THF led to the isolation of the Ir(I) complex [Ir(cod){Ph₂PCH···C(···O)Ph,κP,κO}{Ph₂PCH₂C(O)Ph,κP}] (5). The penta-coordination environment around the metal centre in 5 includes the cod ligand, one 3-electron donor P,O chelating phosphino-enolate ligand and a P-bound Ph₂PCH₂C(O)Ph ligand containing an uncoordinated ketone function. The structures of 4·CH₂Cl₂ and 5·C₇H₈ have been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Synthesis and structural aspects of M-allyl (M = Ir, Rh) complexes

The synthesis, characterization and chemistry of novel η³-allyl metal complexes (M = Ir, Rh) are described. The structures of compounds (C₅Me₄H)Ir(PPh₃)Cl₂ (1), (C₅Me₄H)Ir(PPh₃)(η³-1-methylallyl)Br (3a), (C₅Me₄H)Ir(η⁴-1,3,5-hexatriene) (8), and (C₅Me₅)Rh(η³-1-ethylallyl)Br (5d) have been determined by X-ray crystallography. Structural comparisons among these complexes are discussed. It is found that the neutral metal allylic complex [Cp^∗IrCl(η³-methylallyl)] (5) ionizes in polar solvents to give [Cp^∗Ir(η³-methylallyl)]⁺Cl⁻ (6) and reaches equilibrium (5 ? 6) at room temperature. Addition of tertiary phosphine ligands to neutral complexes such as [Cp^∗Ir(η³-methylallyl)Cl], results in the formation of stable ionic phosphine adducts. Factors such as solvent, length of carbon chain, temperature and light are discussed with respect to the formation, stability and structure of the allyl complexes.     

Pure red electrophosphorescence from polymer light-emitting diodes doped with highly emissive bis-cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes

In order to develop highly emissive red phosphorescent materials for OLED application, novel bis-cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes were developed using the 1-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-4-yl)isoquinolinato-N,C^3′ (dbfiq) cyclometalating ligand. When 1,3-bis(3,4-dibutoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-dionate (bdbp) is employed as an ancillary ligand, Ir(dbfiq)₂(bdbp) 1 exhibits red photoluminescence (PL) at 640 nm with a quantum yield (Φ_PL) of 0.61 (in toluene, 298 K). Replacement of bdbp to dipivaloylmethanate (dpm) and acetylacetonate (acac) (Ir(dbfiq)₂(dpm) 2 and Ir(dbfiq)₂(acac) 3, respectively) does not affect the PL spectrum, but reduces Φ_PL to 0.55 and 0.49 for 2 and 3, respectively. Similar tendency is also found in the doped poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) film, and 1 is more emissive (Φ_PL = 0.17) than 2 and 3 (Φ_PL = 0.08 and 0.06, respectively). Using 1 as a phosphorescent dopant, polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) were fabricated, of which structure was ITO/PEDOT:PSS (40 nm)/PVCz:1:PBD (100 nm)/CsF (1 nm)/Al (250 nm). Pure red electroluminescence (EL) is obtained from the fabricated PLEDs, affording a CIE chromaticity coordinate of (0.68, 0.31). When 0.51 mol% of 1 is incorporated in the PVCz-based emitting layer, the PLED shows maximum luminance of 7270 cd m⁻² at 16.5 V, power efficiency of 1.4 lm W⁻¹ at 7.5 V, and external quantum efficiency of 6.4% at 9.0 V. PLEDs with the same structure and components were also fabricated using 2 and 3, and their device characteristics were investigated. In proportion to the PL quantum yields, 1 affords better device performance than 2 and 3. Owing to four butoxy groups introduced to the bdbp ligand, 1 exhibits high solubility in organic solvents such as chloroform and toluene, and thus, is an excellent red phosphorescent dopant for solution-processed OLEDs.     

Cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes containing N-aryl picolinamide ancillary ligands

The reaction of the cyclometalated chloro-bridged iridium(III) dimer, [(ppy)₂ Ir(μ-Cl)]₂ (ppy - 2-phenyl pyridine) with N-aryl picolinamides (LH, LH-NO₂, LH-CH₃, LH-l, LH-F) resulted in the formation of neutral heteroleptic complexes [Ir(ppy)₂L] (1), [Ir(ppy)₂L-NO₂](2), [Ir(ppy)₂L-CH₃](3), [Ir(ppy)₂L-Cl](4) and [Ir(ppy)₂L-F] (5). These complexes contain a six-coordinate iridium with a 2C, 4N coordination environment. The N-aryl picolinamide ligands are deprotonated during complexation and the resulting amidates bind to iridium in a chelating manner (N, N). Optical spectroscopic studies revealed that the complexes 1-5 exhibited intense π→π^∗ absorptions in the ultraviolet region. In addition low energy transitions due to ¹MLCT, ¹LLCT and ³MLCT are also seen. The emission spectra of 1-5, upon excitation at 450 nm, show a single emission with a λ_max around 513 nm. The lifetimes of this emission are in between 7.4 and 9.6 μs while the quantum yields are quite high and range from 0.2 to 0.5. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations on 1 and 3, the three highest occupied orbitals are composed of ligand π orbitals mixed with Ir-d orbitals while the three lowest unoccupied orbitals are mostly π orbitals of the ligands. From the time dependent DFT calculations it is revealed that the lowest energy electronic singlet and triplet excitations are a mixture of MLCT and LLCT.     

Inhibition of two Cu(II) and Mn(II) coordination polymers on the surgical site infections by inhibiting the bacterial biofilm formation

Within this work, two novel Cu(II) and Mn(II)-based coordination polymers (CPs) along with chemical compositions of {[Cu₂(L¹)(1,4-NDC)₂]·3H₂O}_n (1, 1,4-H₂NDC = Naphthalene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid, L¹ ​= ​di(1H-imidazole-1-yl)methane) and [Mn₃(L²)₂(H₂O)₂(1,4-NDC)₂]_n (2, L² ​= ​1,4-di(1H-imidazole-1-yl)benzene) have been completed in success via related metal salts reaction with 1,4-H₂NDC ligand in existence of various N-donor co-ligands. We discovered its application values on the surgical site infections (SSI) along with corresponding mechanism in the interim. We evaluated inflammatory cytokines released into the urine through ELISA detection kit after compound treatment. Then, we discovered the inhibitory effect of compound on the bacterial biofilm formation via real time RT-PCR.     

Ir(I) complexes with oxazoline-thioether ligands: nucleophilic attack of pyridine on coordinated 1,5-cyclooctadiene and application as catalysts in imine hydrogenation

Oxazoline-thioether ligands 6-11 react with [Ir(η⁴-COD)Py₂]PF₆ (COD=C₈H₁₂=1,5-cyclooctadiene) to give [Ir(σ-η²-C₈H₁₂Py⁺)L] PF₆ (L=oxazoline-thioether ligand) (12a-d) complexes resulted from the coordination of ligand to the metal and subsequent nucleophilic attack of pyridine to one of the double carbon bond of COD with concomitant iridium-carbon bond formation. When [Ir(η⁴-COD)₂]BF₄ was used as starting material, the reaction with ligands 7, 9 afforded the complexes [Ir(η⁴-COD)L]BF₄. Application of these iridium complexes to the reduction of N-(α-methyl)benzylidenbenzylamine gave low or negligible enantioselectivity.     

New thioether–dithiolate complexes of Cp1Ir and some reactivity features

The reaction of [Cp1IrCl₂]₂ (Cp* = η⁵ − C₅Me₅) with the tridentate 3-thiapentane-1,5-dithiolate ligand, S(CH₂CH₂S⁻)₂ (tpdt), led to the formation of [Cp1Ir(η³ − tpdt)] (1) in 81% isolated yield. Subsequent reactions of 1 with [Cp1IrCl₂]₂ in 2:1 and 1:1 molar equiv ratios resulted in the formation of [Cp1Ir(μ − η²:η³ − tpdt)Cp1IrCl][PF₆] (2) and [Cp1Irμ − η²:η³ − tpdt)Cp1IrCl][Cp1IrCl₃] (3) in 86 and 79% yields, respectively, based on 1, whereas the reactions of 1 with [(COD)IrCl]₂ (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) in 2:1 and 1:1 molar equiv ratios resulted in the formation of the homo-bimetallic derivatives Cp1Ir(μ − η¹:η³ − tpdt)(COD)IrCl (4) (92% yield) and [Cp1Ir(μ − η²:η³ − tpdt)(COD)Ir] [(COD)IrCl₂] (5) (82% yield). Reactions between 1 and [(COD)RhCl]₂, yielded the hetero-bimetallic derivatives Cp1Ir(μ − η¹:η³ − tpdt)(COD)RhCl (6) and [Cp1Ir(μ − η²:η³ − tpdt)(COD)Rh][(COD)RhCl₂] (7), in 92 and 93% yields, respectively. The reaction of 1 with methyl iodide gave mono-methylated derivative [Cp1Ir(η³-C₄H₈S₃Me)]I (8) (93% yield). All these compounds have been comprehensively characterized.     

An iridium(III)-palladium(II) metal-organic cage for efficient mitochondria-targeted photodynamic therapy

An Ir₈Pd₄-heteronuclear metal-organic cage (MOC-51) was assembled from bipodal metalloligand [Ir(ppy)₂(qpy)(BF₄)] (qpy = 4,4′:2′,2″:4″,4‴-quaterpyridine; ppy = 2-phenylpridine) with Pd(II) salt. The cubic barrel shaped MOC shows one-photon and two-photon excited deep-red emission, as well as large singlet oxygen quantum yields under visible light irradiation, therefore exhibiting great potentials in organelles-targeted cell imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Compared with the Ir(III) metalloligand, the Ir₈Pd₄-MOC showed less dark toxicity and higher mitochondria-targeting efficiency. The localization in mitochondria overcomes the limitation of short lifetime and diffusion distance of ROS in cell, thus improved PDT effect can be obtained in low light dose usage of the MOC. This study presents the first case of Ir-based metal-organic cages for bio-applications in successful integration of imaging diagnosis and photodynamic therapy     

Multivalent calixarene-based C-fucosyl derivative: a new Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm inhibitor

The first example of multivalent conjugate in which four α-l-C-fucosyl units are clustered by means of a calix[4]arene platform was designed as a new potential Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm inhibitor. The anti-biofilm activity of the synthesized compound (6) against PAO1 strain was assayed and it was found to be dose-dependent. The presence of the fucose cluster improves the biofilm inhibitor efficiency as proven by the lower inhibitor activity of the analogous glycyl-calix[4]arene derivative (3) lacking in the fucose moieties.