In Situ Lipid Interactions of an Anticancer Metal Complex

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.