Interaction between active ruthenium complex [RuCl3(dppb)(VPy)] and phospholipid Langmuir monolayers: Effects on membrane electrical properties

Abstract

We report on the interaction between mer-[RuCl3(dppb)(VPy)] (dppb = 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphine)-butane and VPy=4-vinylpyridine) (RuVPy) and dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl serine (DPPS), in Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films. Interaction of RuVPy with DPPS, which predominates in cancer cell membranes, should be weaker than for other phospholipids since RuVPy is less toxic to cancer cells than to healthy cells. Incorporation of RuVPy induced smaller changes in electrochemical properties of LB films of DPPS than for other phospholipids, but the same did not apply to surface pressure isotherms. This calls for caution in establishing correlations between effects from a single property and phenomena on cell membranes. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.