Gary Blanchard

Anthracycline Photoreactivity and Iron Complexation

Krzysztof Nawara,^1,2Pawel Krysinski¹ and G. J. Blanchard²
¹University of Warsaw, Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Electrochemistry, Warsaw, Poland
²Michigan State University, Department of Chemistry, East Lansing, MI USA

The anthracyclines are a family of compounds that have found wide use because of their ability to function as chemotherapeutic agents, and there is much current effort on the targeted delivery of these species. The interest in targeted delivery is particularly important for the anthracyclines because they are known to exhibit cardio-toxic side effects. Our work has shown that the chemical reactivity of these compounds is potentially related to their toxic side effects. We have investigated the photoreactivity of doxorubicin and have demonstrated its ability to produce reactive oxygen species photocatalytically and undergo photodegradation. We have also elucidated the influence of subtle structural variations on the ability of anthracyclines to form (toxic) complexes with Fe³⁺. Such fundamental investigations will ultimately provide insight into the most effective integration of anthracycline structure and nanoparticle identity to achieve targeted delivery.

Chairwoman - prof. Renata Bilewicz

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