Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early years,...

Antiprotozoal Agents

Antiprotozoal Agents

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Evidence of aggregation-assisted antibacterial photodynamic activity against <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>E. coli</i> using amphiphilic Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes.

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2026

Same author

Visible-Light Sensitized Isomerization in the Lipid Bilayer Enables Activation of a Transmembrane Transporter.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026

Same author

Ruthenium Complexes in Protein Science: Heading a New Generation of Therapeutic and Analytical Tools.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2025

Same author

A Sterically Open Ruthenium-Based Photocage Activated by Red and Far-Red Light for a Wide Range of Drugs.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025

Same author

Visualizing the Invisible: Dual Click Imaging of Ruthenium-Based Photoactivated Chemotherapy Agents and Their DNA Synthesis Inhibition in Fixed Cancer Cells.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025

Same author

Photoactivated Proximity Protein Labeling Reveals Enhanced Tumor Retention of a D-Peptide-Ruthenium Prodrug Conjugate.

Advanced healthcare materials·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes

Published on: April 10, 2015

Ruthenium-Based Photoactivated Chemotherapy.

Sylvestre Bonnet¹

¹Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333CC Leiden, The Netherlands.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|October 17, 2023

Summary

Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes are unique inorganic compounds. These complexes are explored as prodrugs for photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT), offering targeted cancer cell killing via light activation.

Area of Science:

Inorganic photochemistry
Coordination chemistry
Oncology

Background:

Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes exhibit unique photochemical and photophysical properties.
Their excited-state deactivation via photosubstitution reactions is key to their functionality.
These properties enable their use in light-responsive molecular systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the fundamental concepts of photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT).
To explore the relationship between ruthenium compounds in PACT and photodynamic therapy (PDT).
To discuss the clinical applicability and future challenges of PACT.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes in PACT.
Analysis of photochemical properties relevant to light-activated drug delivery.

More Related Videos

Synthesis and Evaluation of a Ruthenium-based Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake Inhibitor

Synthesis and Evaluation of a Ruthenium-based Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake Inhibitor

Published on: October 26, 2017

Near Infrared Photoimmunotherapy for Mouse Models of Pleural Dissemination

Near Infrared Photoimmunotherapy for Mouse Models of Pleural Dissemination

Published on: February 9, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes

Published on: April 10, 2015

Synthesis and Evaluation of a Ruthenium-based Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake Inhibitor

Synthesis and Evaluation of a Ruthenium-based Mitochondrial Calcium Uptake Inhibitor

Published on: October 26, 2017

Near Infrared Photoimmunotherapy for Mouse Models of Pleural Dissemination

Near Infrared Photoimmunotherapy for Mouse Models of Pleural Dissemination

Published on: February 9, 2021

Comparison of PACT mechanisms with photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Main Results:

Ruthenium complexes can be designed as prodrugs activated by visible light.
PACT offers a strategy for targeted cancer cell killing with reduced dark toxicity.
The review highlights the potential and challenges of translating PACT to clinical settings.

Conclusions:

Photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) using ruthenium complexes presents a promising avenue in oncology.
Understanding the photochemistry is crucial for developing effective PACT agents.
Further research is needed to address clinical challenges and optimize PACT strategies.