The interactions between the new organometallic complexes, ferrocene-substituted dithio-o-carborane conjugates (denoted as FcSB1, FcSB2 and FcSBCO) and hemoglobin (Hb) are investigated by electrochemistry, fluorescence and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that FcSB1, FcSB2 and FcSBCO can bind to the heme iron center through the replacement of the weakly bound H2O/O2 in the distal heme pocket of Hb by their sulfur donor atoms, inducing the allosteric change from the R state (oxygenated conformation, relax) to T state (deoxygenated conformation, tense). The binding affinity is in the order of FcSBCO>FcSB2>FcSB1. Moreover, the fluorescence study illustrates that the three ferrocene-carborane conjugates differently affect the quarterly and tertiary structures as well as the polarity in the surrounding of the Trp and Tyr residues in Hb. Typically, FcSB2 mainly induces alterations of the microenvironment around the β37Trp residue which is located on the α1β2 interface of Hb. Such distinct influences are attributed to the structural features of FcSB1, FcSB2 and FcSBCO containing hydrophobic ferrocenyl and carboranyl units as well as C=O group. Screening the protein-binding behavior can signify the potential bioactivity of such molecules and may be helpful in the future development of promising multifunctional metallodrugs.
WU ChunHui1,3, YE HongDe2, JIANG Hui1, WANG XueMei1 & YAN Hong2 1State Key Lab of Bioelectronics (Chien-Shiung Wu Lab), Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China 2State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry
In this study,we have prepared the blending of gold nanoparticles-multiwalled nanotubes (Au-MCNTs) and then applied the new nanocomposites to modify the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for highly sensitive detection of the interaction between anticancer drug daunorubicin (DNR) and cancer cells. Electrochemical analysis indicates that the Au-MCNT modified GCE shows high sensitivity and could track the real time response of cancer cells under DNR treatments. Therefore,this new nano-interface and Au-MCNT modified electrode could be explored as a rapid,highly sensitive,and convenient real-time detection strategy in cancer related research and would have prospect in other biomedical applications.
LI QingNingWU XiaoJingZHAO JuanWU ChangYuWANG XueMei
We report in this study the effects of red-emitting CdTe QDs capped with cysteamine(Cys-CdTe) on the in vitro anticancer activity of the well-known flavenoid quercetin(Qu). Various techniques, including the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay, the real-time cell electronic sensing system, the optical and fluorescence imaging, and electrochemical methods have been utilized to study the potential interactions of Cys-CdTe QDs with Qu. The observations demonstrate that the safe-dosage Cys-CdTe QDs can greatly improve the drug uptake and enhance the inhibition efficiency of Qu towards the proliferation of cancer cells such as HepG2 cells. This study implies that Cys-CdTe QDs may be used for cancer therapy and that they exert a synergic anticancer effect when bound to drug molecules.
