Imaging and proteomic study of a clickable iridium complex
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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Design, Synthesis, and Photochemical Properties of Clickable Caged Compounds
Published on: October 15, 2019
Xiuxiu Wang1, Jingyi Zhang2, Xinyang Zhao2
1State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China. weiwei@nju.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Iridium complexes have recently attracted increasing interest in developing metallodrugs. Herein, we have synthesized and characterized a clickable iridium hydride complex 2-N3. The cytotoxity and production of reactive oxygen species study in A2780 cancer cells indicated a potent anticancer activity of 2-N3. The ICP-MS analysis and the cellular imaging via Cu(i) catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition suggested the accumulation of 2-N3 in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Further label-free quantitative proteomic analysis indicated that the ECM-receptor interaction pathway was activated by 2-N3. The analysis of down-regulated proteins suggested that 2-N3 affected cellular DNA transcription, post-translational glycosyl modification, and redox homeostasis. Besides, 2-N3 also damaged several crucial proteins and enzymes in the mitochondria and nucleus, leading to the disorder of the cellular processes. Our results provide a new approach to mechanism studies of metallodrugs combining click chemistry and proteomic analysis.
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