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Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay
Published on: November 10, 2013
In Situ Lipid Interactions of an Anticancer Metal Complex
Edward C Lant1, Archana C Jadhav2, Annabel Sumeray3
1Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.
None:
An integrated multimodal imaging workflow of cryogenic super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and soft X-ray tomography, Orbitrap secondary ion mass spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry has revealed the unexpected targeting of a half-sandwich cyclopentadienyl Rh(III) phenylazopyridine anticancer complex to cellular lipid membranes and lipid droplets. The complex accumulates in plasma membranes with a surprisingly intense switch-on luminescence in living cancer cells, drives remodeling of lipid droplet architecture, and penetrates deeply into lipid-rich tissue environments. DFT modeling shows strong supramolecular interactions between the complex and glycerophosphorylcholine lipids.
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