A novel metal-organic coordination polymer based on Ru complexes for photoredox catalysis and photodynamic therapy of breast cancer

This study introduces the synthesis and application of a novel metal-organic coordination polymer for photocatalytic cancer therapy. The material was prepared <i>via</i> coordination between Ru(dcbpy)₃Cl₂ and manganese ions, forming sheet-like nanostructures with strong visible-light absorption and high photostability. Upon light irradiation, Mn-Ru MOCPs not only produce singlet oxygen <i>via</i> a type II photodynamic pathway but also efficiently catalyze the oxidation of intracellular NADH with a high photocatalytic turnover frequency (TOF) of 175 h^-1. Moreover, the material facilitates the photocatalytic reduction of cytochrome <i>c</i> in the presence of NADH, triggering multimodal therapeutic effects including ROS erupt, NADH and ATP depletion, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and ultimately apoptosis. Both intracorporeal and extracorporeal experiments exhibited significant light-induced anticancer activity against 4T1 breast cancer cells and xenograft tumor models, with good biocompatibility and tumor-targeting capability.