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Published on: July 22, 2013
Ruthenium-Catalyzed Redox Isomerizations inside Living Cells
Cristian Vidal1, María Tomás-Gamasa1, Alejandro Gutiérrez-González1
1Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS), and Departamento de Química Orgánica , Universidade de Santiago de Compostela , 15782 Santiago de Compostela , Spain.
Abstract:
Tailored ruthenium(IV) complexes can catalyze the isomerization of allylic alcohols into saturated carbonyl derivatives under physiologically relevant conditions, and even inside living mammalian cells. The reaction, which involves ruthenium-hydride intermediates, is bioorthogonal and biocompatible, and can be used for the "in cellulo" generation of fluorescent and bioactive probes. Overall, our research reveals a novel metal-based tool for cellular intervention, and comes to further demonstrate the compatibility of organometallic mechanisms with the complex environment of cells.
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