Towards new boron carriers for boron neutron capture therapy: Metallacarboranes bearing cobalt, iron and chromium and their cholesterol conjugates

A method for the synthesis of cholesterol–metallacarborane conjugates bearing cobalt, iron and chromium was developed. Effective incorporation of the cholesterol conjugate bearing cobalt into liposome membrane was revealed. Using the metallacarborane-encrusted liposomes as boron delivery system in vivo biodistribution experiments in tumor-bearing mice, high accumulation and selective delivery of boron into tumor tissues was observed. The results demonstrate that the cholesterol–metallacarborane conjugates can be considered as a potential candidate for boron delivery vehicle in BNCT.

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