Cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and subcellular localization of a nitrogen oxide and aminopropyl-β-lactose derivative ruthenium complex used as nitric oxide delivery agent.

This work investigates how the luminescent ruthenium-nitrite complexes cis-[Ru(py-bodipy)(dcbpy)(NO)](PF) (I) and cis-[Ru(py-bodipy)(dcbpy-aminopropyl-β-lactose)(NO)](PF) (II) behave toward the melanoma cancer cell line B16F10. The chemical structure and purity of the synthesized complexes were analyzed by UV-Visible and FTIR spectroscopy, MALDI, HPLC, and H NMR. Spectrofluorescence helped to determine the fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes of each of these complexes.