Table 4.
List of nanostructured materials functionalized with ruthenium (Ru) complexes for targeted drug delivery
| No | Nanostructured material | Ru complex | Target | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tetrahedral nanostructure of DNA (height 2.0 nm; size 33.5 nm) | Ru polypyridyl complex | ROS-mediated cell apoptosis (human liver carcinoma cells) | 33 |
| 2 | The core/shell structured nanocapsule (size 103.1±11.3 nm) | Ru complex tris(1,10-phenanthroline) Ru(II) complex (3P-Ru) | Inhibition of cell growth (glioma cells) | 34 |
| 3 | pH-sensitive mesoporous silica nanocarrier (MSN) (size 90 nm) | Ru(II) N-heterocyclic carbine complex (RuNHC) coated with chitosan biotin | Selectivity of RuNHC between cancer and normal cells. The biotin on the surface of the drug-loaded nanoparticles mediated higher accumulation in cancer cells | 35 |
| 4 | Lanthanide-doped up-conversion nanoparticles coated with human serum albumin (size 60–120 nm) | A photo-sensitive Ru complex, [Ru(bpy)2(dmbpy)]Cl2 | Controlled release of active anticancer agents in tumor sites | 36 |
| 5 | Inorganic mesoporous silicas (size 40 nm) | Anthracene-based half-sandwich organometallic Ru(II) compounds | Cytotoxic activity toward leukemia cells (HL-60) via apoptosis | 37 |
| 6 | Self-assembled supramolecular nanoparticles (height 1.5 nm; size 30–50 nm) | β-Cyclodextrin-functionalized Ru(II) polypyridyl complex | Controlled drug release and induce cell death in integrin αvβ3-rich tumor cells | 38 |
| 7 | Single-walled carbon nanotemplates (size ranged from 20 nm) | Ru(II) complexes | Photothermally triggered release | 39 |
| 8 | Functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes as carriers (the average diameter is 224.9 nm) | Ru polypyridyl complex (RuPOP) | Induction of cell death by activation of downstream signaling pathways, including DNA damage-mediated p53 phosphorylation, activation of p38, and inactivation of AKT and ERK | 40 |
Abbreviation: ROS, reactive oxygen species.