Simultaneous Probing of Metabolism and Oxygenation of Tumors In Vivo Using FLIM of NAD(P)H and PLIM of a New Polymeric Ir(III) Oxygen Sensor.

Tumor cells are well adapted to grow in conditions of variable oxygen supply and hypoxia by switching between different metabolic pathways. However, the regulatory effect of oxygen on metabolism and its contribution to the metabolic heterogeneity of tumors have not been fully explored. In this study, we develop a methodology for the simultaneous analysis of cellular metabolic status, using the fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) of metabolic cofactor NAD(P)H, and oxygen level, using the phosphorescence lifetime imaging (PLIM) of a new polymeric Ir(III)-based sensor (PIr3) in tumors in vivo. The sensor, derived from a polynorbornene and cyclometalated iridium(III) complex, exhibits the oxygen-dependent quenching of phosphorescence with a 40% longer lifetime in degassed compared to aerated solutions. In vitro, hypoxia resulted in a correlative increase in PIr3 phosphorescence lifetime and free (glycolytic) NAD(P)H fraction in cells. In vivo, mouse tumors demonstrated a high degree of cellular-level heterogeneity of both metabolic and oxygen states, and a lower dependence of metabolism on oxygen than cells in vitro. The small tumors were hypoxic, while the advanced tumors contained areas of normoxia and hypoxia, which was consistent with the pimonidazole assay and angiographic imaging. Dual FLIM/PLIM metabolic/oxygen imaging will be valuable in preclinical investigations into the effects of hypoxia on metabolic aspects of tumor progression and treatment response.

π-Carbazolyl supported bis(alkyl) complexes of Sc, Y and La for α-olefin polymerization and hydrogenation.

A series of new half-sandwich bis(alkyl) rare-earth metal complexes coordinated by a sterically demanding 1,3,6,8-tetra-tert-butyl-carbazol-9-yl ligand [tBu4Carb]La(CH2C6H5)2(THF) (1-La), [tBu4Carb]Ln(o-NMe2C6H4CH2)2 (Ln = Sc (2-Sc), Y (2-Y), La (2-La), [tBu4Carb]Ln(CH2SiMe3)2(THF) (Ln = Sc (3-Sc), Y (3-Y)), were synthesized. 1-La, 2-La, and 2-Y were prepared by an alkane elimination protocol, while 2-Sc, 3-Sc, and 3-Y became accessible only when salt metathesis reactions of tBu4CarbK with R2Ln(THF)n+[BPh4]- were employed. X-ray analysis revealed that in all complexes the carbazolyl ligand exhibits π-coordination with metal ions. 2-Sc and 3-Sc when activated with [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] demonstrate excellent activity in α-olefin (octene-1, nonene-1, decene-1 and 1,1-diphenyl-but-1-ene) polymerization. When H2 was used as a chain transfer agent (1 bar, rt) in the presence of 3-Sc/[Ph3C][B(C6F5)4] or 2-Y, 2-La olefin hydrogenation occurred with quantitative conversion.

Sc and Y bis(alkyl) complexes supported by bidentate and tridentate amidinate ligands. Synthesis, structure and catalytic activity in polymerization of isoprene and 1-heptene.

A series of bis(alkyl) complexes {(tBu)C[N(2,6-Me2C6H3)]2}Ln(CH2SiMe3)2(THF)n (Ln = Y, n = 1 (1); Ln = Sc, n = 1 (2)), {2-[Ph2P(O)]C6H4NC(tBu)N(2,6-Me2C6H3)}Sc(CH2SiMe3)2 (3), {2-[Ph2P(NPh)]C6H4NC(tBu)N(2,6-Me2C6H3)}Sc(CH2SiMe3)2 (4) coordinated by bidentate (N,N) and tridentate (N,N,O; N,N,N) amidinate ligands are synthesized using an alkane elimination approach. Yttrium complex 1 demonstrated a half-life of ∼2.5 days at room temperature in benzene-D6 (C6D6) solution, whereas scandium complexes proved to be much more stable (25 d (2), 30 d (3) and 42 d (4)). Complexes 1-4 as a part of ternary catalytic systems 1-4/TB, HNB/AlR3 (AlR3 = AliBu3, AliBu2H; TB = [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4], HNB = [PhNHMe2][B(C6F5)4]) demonstrated high catalytic activity in isoprene polymerization and enable 80%-100% conversion of 1000 equivalents of monomer into polymer at 25 °C within 3-180 min. The isolated polyisoprenes feature predominantly cis-1,4-regularity (69.2%-87.3%) and polydispersities Mw/Mn = 2.26-8.92. Moreover, the binary (2/TB) and ternary (1-4/TB/10 AliBu3) systems initiate 1-heptene polymerization providing 40%-100% conversion of 500 equivalents of monomer in 24 h at 25 °C giving polymer samples with Mn = 1.55-190.2 × 103 and Mw/Mn = 1.55-3.87.

Red Light-Emitting Water-Soluble Luminescent Iridium-Containing Polynorbornenes: Synthesis, Characterization and Oxygen Sensing Properties in Biological Tissues In Vivo.

New water-soluble polynorbornenes P1-P4 containing oligoether, amino acid groups and luminophoric complexes of iridium(III) were synthesized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization. The polymeric products in organic solvents and in water demonstrate intense photoluminescence in the red spectral region. The polymers P1 and P3 with 1-phenylisoquinoline cyclometalating ligands in iridium fragments reveal 4-6 fold higher emission quantum yields in solutions than those of P2 and P4 that contain iridium complexes with 1-(thien-2-yl)isoquinoline cyclometalating ligands. The emission parameters of P1-P4 in degassed solutions essentially differ from those in the aerated solutions showing oxygen-dependent quenching of phosphorescence. Biological testing of P1 and P3 demonstrates that the polymers do not penetrate into live cultured cancer cells and normal skin fibroblasts and do not possess cytotoxicity within the concentrations and time ranges reasonable for biological studies. In vivo, the polymers display longer phosphorescence lifetimes in mouse tumors than in muscle, as measured using phosphorescence lifetime imaging (PLIM), which correlates with tumor hypoxia. Therefore, preliminary evaluation of the synthesized polymers shows their suitability for noninvasive in vivo assessments of oxygen levels in biological tissues.