Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes as emerging photosensitisers for antibacterial photodynamic therapy

Ng XY 1 , Fong KW 1 , Kiew LV 2 , Chung PY 3 , Liew YK 4 , Delsuc N 5 Show all authors , Zulkefeli M 6 , Low ML 7

Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Postgraduate Studies, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30068, Taiwan, Republic of China
  • 3 Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Life Sciences, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Laboratoire des Biomolécules, LBM, Département de Chimie, École Normale Supérieur, PSL University, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
  • 6 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: mohdzulkefeli@imu.edu.my
  • 7 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: LowML@ucsiuniversity.edu.my
J Inorg Biochem, 2024 Jan;250:112425.
PMID: 37977020 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2023.112425

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has recently emerged as a potential valuable alternative to treat microbial infections. In PDT, singlet oxygen is generated in the presence of photosensitisers and oxygen under light irradiation of a specific wavelength, causing cytotoxic damage to bacteria. This review highlights different generations of photosensitisers and the common characteristics of ideal photosensitisers. It also focuses on the emergence of ruthenium and more specifically on Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes as metal-based photosensitisers used in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT). Their photochemical and photophysical properties as well as structures are discussed while relating them to their phototoxicity. The use of Ru(II) complexes with recent advancements such as nanoformulations, combinatory therapy and photothermal therapy to improve on previous shortcomings of the complexes are outlined. Future perspectives of these complexes used in two-photon PDT, photoacoustic imaging and sonotherapy are also discussed. This review covers the literature published from 2017 to 2023.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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