trans-[Ru(NO)(NH3)4(py)](BF4)3·H2O encapsulated in PLGA microparticles for delivery of nitric oxide to B16-F10 cells: Cytotoxicity and phototoxicity

The NO donor trans-[Ru(NO)(NH3)4(py)](BF4)3·H2O (py = pyridine) was loaded into poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microparticles using the double emulsification technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic light scattering revealed that the particles are spherical in shape, have a diameter of 1600 nm, and have low tendency to aggregate. The entrapment efficiency was 25%. SEM analysis of the melanoma cell B16-F10 in the presence of the microparticles containing the complex trans-[Ru(NO)(NH3)4(py)](BF4)3·H2O (pyMP) showed that the microparticles were adhered to the cell surface after 2 h of incubation. The complex with concentrations lower than 1 × 10−4 M did not show toxicity in B16-F10 murine cells. The complex in solution is toxic at higher concentrations (>1 × 10−3 M), with cell death attributed to NO release following the reduction of the complex. pyMP is not cytotoxic due to the lower bioavailability and availability of the entrapped complex to the medium and its reducing agents. However, pyMP is phototoxic upon light irradiation. The phototoxicity strongly suggests that cell death is due to NO release from trans-[Ru(NO)(NH3)4(py)]3+. This work shows that pyMP can serve as a model for a drug delivery system carrying the NO donor trans-[Ru(NO)(NH3)4(py)](BF4)3·H2O, which can release NO locally at the tumor cell by irradiation with light only.