Research Information System
Inorganica Chimica Acta, vol.592, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Two bis-cyclometalated iridium complexes [Ir(ppyCF3)2(MAA)] (ppyCF3: 2-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)pyridine; MAA: methacryloylamino acid) have been synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 19F NMR, UV–Vis and FT-IR spectroscopy. The potential of the synthesized Ir(III) complexes as bioimaging agents was examined through their interaction with transferrin receptors in cells. The iridium complexes were attached to the transferrin protein via electron transfer using the tyrosine or tryptophan groups in the MAA ligand. This interaction enhances intracellular targeting and imaging efficiency, thereby expanding the potential applications of Ir(III) complexes in biological systems. In our study, we obtained two different types of biomaterials by interacting Ir(III) complexes with transferrin. The first type is iridium-transferrin cross-linked conjugates (Ir-Tf), and the second type is nano-structured iridium-transferrin cross-linked polymers (nanoIr-Tf). Our findings demonstrate that [Ir(ppyCF3)2(MATyr)]-Tf and nano[Ir(ppyCF3)2(MATyr)]-Tf show promise as efficient bioimaging agents. When interacting with both cancerous and normal lung cells, these complexes displayed robust fluorescence emission, enabling precise imaging and visualization. Notably, the complexes selectively localized within the cytoplasm of cancer cells, highlighting their potential for targeted imaging.