Die photodynamische Therapie gegen Krebs basiert darauf, Patienten eine zunächst inaktive Substanz zu verabreichen, die erst im Tumor durch gezielte Lichtbestrahlung aktiviert wird.

Die meisten Tumore wachsen so schnell, dass das Gefäßwachstum nicht mithält und sich im Inneren sauerstoffarme Bereiche bilden. Ein neuer Wirkstoff könnte ihre Behandlung mit photodynamischer Therapie...

The reliance of many anticancer agents on apoptosis often limits their therapeutic efficacy and contributes to the development of drug resistance. To overcome these challenges, alternative mechanisms ...

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules derived from molecular oxygen that play critical roles in cellular signaling, homeostasis, and the regulation of various physiological and pathological processes. Accurate detection and quantification of ROS are essential for elucidating their roles in health and disease. Despite significant advances in ROS probe development, challenges persist due to their short lifetimes, high reactivity, and their chemical diversity. This perspective article provides a critical evaluation of the limitations of the most commonly applied probe molecule DCFH-DA. Capitalizing on this, recommendations with practical applications in the lab for the specific detection of hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen, superoxide anion, and peroxynitrite are provided. By integrating current knowledge on ROS probe technologies, this work aims to guide researchers in reliably assessing ROS in complex biological systems, thereby facilitating a deeper understanding of ROS-mediated processes and their implications for disease research and therapeutic development.

Ein neuer Wirkstoff kann Krebszellen beseitigen und gleichzeitig das Immunsystem trainieren, solche Zellen überall im Körper zu vernichten.

We designed a series of pseudo-octahedral arene Os(ii) complexes (Os1–Os5) with the general formula [(η6-p-cym)Os(BTAT)Cl]+, where BTAT represents chelating N^N′ ligands based on the 1-aryl-4-benzothi...

This minireview explores advancements in high-throughput combinatorial synthesis of metal complexes, emphasising their applications in catalysis, drug discovery, and materials science. We highlight v...

Herein, we describe and investigate biological activity of three octahedral ruthenium(II) complexes of the type [Ru(C∧N)(phen)2]+, RuL1–RuL3, containing a π-expansive cyclometalating substituted benzo[g]quinoxaline ligand (C∧N ligand) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline). Compounds RuL1–RuL3 in cervical, melanoma, and colon human cancer cells exhibit high phototoxicity after irradiation with light (particularly blue), with the phototoxicity index reaching 100 for the complex RuL2 in most sensitive HCT116 cells. RuL2 accumulates in the cellular membranes. If irradiated, it induces lipid peroxidation, likely connected with photoinduced ROS generation. Oxidative damage to the fatty acids leads to the attenuation of the membranes, the activation of caspase 3, and the triggering of the apoptotic pathway, thus implementing membrane-localized photodynamic therapy. RuL2 is the first photoactive ruthenium-based complex capable of killing the hardly treatable colon cancer stem cells, a highly resilient subpopulation within a heterogeneous tumor mass, responsible for tumor recurrence and the metastatic progression of cancer.

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) presents one of the main obstacles to delivering anticancer drugs in glioblastoma. Herein, we investigated the potential of a series of cyclic ruthenium-peptide conjugate...

Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum