Novel BODIPY-based Ru(<scp>ii</scp>) and Ir(<scp>iii</scp>) metalla-rectangles: cellular localization of compounds and their antiproliferative activities

Abstract

The first examples of Ru(ii) and Ir(iii) metalla-rectangles [1](4+)-[4](4+) containing a BODIPY-based linker are reported; some of these compounds exhibited highly selective anticancer activity and interact strongly with DNA as well as protein. The characteristic green fluorescence of a BODIPY ligand and associated aggregation-induced emission (AIE) permitted visualization of compounds inside the cells using confocal microscopy.