Breaking the deep-red light absorption barrier of iridium(III)-based photosensitizers.

Activating photosensitizers with long-wavelength excitation is an important parameter for effective photodynamic therapy due to the minimal toxicity of this light, its superior tissue penetration, and excellent spatial resolution. Unfortunately, most Ir(III) complexes suffer from limited absorption within the phototherapeutic window, rendering them ineffective against deep-seated and/or large tumors, which poses a significant barrier to their clinical application. To address this issue, several efforts have been recently made to shift the absorption of Ir(III) photosensitizers to the deep-red/near-infrared region by using different strategies: functionalization with organic fluorophores, including porphyrinoid compounds, and ligand design π-extension and donor-acceptor interactions.

Cytotoxic Ruthenium(II)-Diphosphine Complexes Affect the Mitochondrial Respiration of Lung Cancer Cells.

In this work, we studied six Ruthenium(II)-diphosphine compounds containing different mercapto ligands (N-S), with general formula [Ru(N-S)(dppm)]Cl (dppm=1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino)methane). These compounds were characterized by several techniques (NMR [H, P(H), and C], HRMS, IR, UV-Vis and XRD) and their purity confirmed by elemental analysis. DLS experiments revealed low diameters and polydispersity indexes, and positive log P values in n-octanol/PBS indicated their preference for the organic phase.

CFTR represses a PDX1 axis to govern pancreatic ductal cell fate.

Inflammation, acinar atrophy, and ductal hyperplasia drive pancreatic remodeling in newborn cystic fibrosis (CF) ferrets lacking a functional cystic fibrosis conductance regulator (CFTR) channel. These changes are associated with a transient phase of glucose intolerance that involves islet destruction and subsequent regeneration near hyperplastic ducts. The phenotypic changes in CF ductal epithelium and their impact on islet function are unknown.

Two in one: merging photoactivated chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy to fight cancer.

The growing number of cancer cases requires the development of new approaches for treatment. A therapy that has attracted the special attention of scientists is photodynamic therapy (PDT) due to its spatial and temporal resolution. However, it is accepted that this treatment methodology has limited application in cases of low cellular oxygenation, which is typical of cancerous tissues.