Self-Assembled Novel BODIPY-Based Palladium Supramolecules and Their Cellular Localization

Four new palladium metal supramolecules
with triangular/square architectures derived from boron dipyrromethane
(BODIPY) ligands were synthesized by self-assembly and fully characterized
by 1H and 31P NMR, electrospray ionization mass
spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. These supramolecules
were more cytotoxic to brain cancer (glioblastoma) cells than to normal
lung fibroblasts. Their cytotoxicity to the glioblastoma cells was
higher than that of a benchmark metal-based chemotherapy drug, cisplatin.
The characteristic green fluorescence of the BODIPY ligands in these
supramolecules permitted their intracellular visualization using confocal
microscopy, and the compounds were localized in the cytoplasm and
on the plasma membrane.