A HCBP1 peptide conjugated ruthenium complex for targeted therapy of hepatoma†
Abstract
An HCBP1 peptide–ruthenium conjugate (Ru–β-Ala-FQHPSFI) as a potential candidate for targeted therapy of hepatoma was synthesized. Ru–β-Ala-FQHPSFI shows drastically enhanced cytotoxicity and high selectivity for hepatoma cells versus noncancer liver cells. Raman imaging shows that this peptide-based drug can be taken up well by the hepatoma cells compared with the bare ruthenium complex (Ru) and the opposite sequence peptide–ruthenium conjugate (Ru-β-Ala-IFSPHQF). This study presents a new strategy for the construction of tumor-targeting metal-based anticancer therapeutics.