Traceable in-cell synthesis and cytoplasm-to-nucleus translocation of a zinc Schiff base complex as a simple and economical anticancer strategy

• Published in: Chemical communications (Cambridge, England) England), 2019-07, Vol.55 (54), p.7852-7855
• Main Authors: Cao, Qian, Yang, Jing, Zhang, Hang, Hao, Liang, Yang, Gang-Gang, Ji, Liang-Nian, Mao, Zong-Wan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - chemical synthesis; Antineoplastic Agents - metabolism; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Antineoplastic Agents - toxicity; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Nucleus - metabolism; Chlorides - chemistry; Coordination Complexes - chemical synthesis; Coordination Complexes - metabolism; Coordination Complexes - therapeutic use; Coordination Complexes - toxicity; Coordination compounds; Cytoplasm; Cytoplasm - metabolism; DNA - chemistry; Female; Fluorescence; Fluorescent Dyes - chemical synthesis; Fluorescent Dyes - metabolism; Fluorescent Dyes - therapeutic use; Fluorescent Dyes - toxicity; Humans; Hydrolysis; Imines; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microscopy, Confocal - methods; Morphology; Nuclei (cytology); Schiff Bases - chemical synthesis; Schiff Bases - metabolism; Schiff Bases - therapeutic use; Schiff Bases - toxicity; Selectivity; Synthesis; Theranostic Nanomedicine - methods; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; Zinc; Zinc - chemistry; Zinc Compounds - chemistry
• ISSN: 1359-7345; 1364-548X
• DOI: 10.1039/c9cc03480c

We have proposed a facile and cheap cancer therapeutic strategy by in-cell synthesizing theranostic Zn Schiff base complexes with nuclear targeting and DNA damaging capability. The in-cell synthesis can be traced via a green-to-blue fluorescence shift, and the subsequent cytoplasm-to-nucleus translocation realizes cancer-specific therapy both in vitro and in vivo . A facile and cheap strategy based on visualized in-cell synthesis of theranostic Zn Schiff base complexes realizes cancer-specific therapy.