Tracking the cellular intake of a novel platinum supramolecular coordination complex

We have synthesized recently the Pt(II)-based metallacycle Pt2L2, where L is a fluorescent pyridyl ligand. Based on the differences observed between the cellular emissive behaviour of Pt2L2 and L we initially hypothesized that Pt2L2 reaches the nucleus of cells, and accumulates in the nucleoli where it binds to unconventional DNA structures called G-quadruplex. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that Pt2L2 breaks partially inside cells, releasing the Pt(II) centre and ligand L, which could follow different cellular fates. To obtain a complete picture of the cellular trafficking of Pt2L2, we intend to use nanofocused XRF at ID16A to map Pt in cells treated with a range of concentrations of our metal complex for different times. Comparing these maps with the microscopy images previously obtained will be key to understand the mechanism of action of Pt2L2.