Rhodium(I) Complex-Based Polymeric Nanomicelles in Water Exhibiting Coexistent Near-Infrared Phosphorescence Imaging and Anticancer Activity in Vivo.

Metal complexes that exhibit both near-infrared (NIR) phosphorescence imaging and chemotherapeutic activity would represent a novel class of anticancer drugs in clinical tumor treatment. In this work, a series of novel rodlike nanomicelles have been fabricated in water by coupling poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(sodium acrylate) and [Rh(C≡N-2,6-xylyl)4]+(1/2SO4)-. These nanomicelles exhibit intense NIR phosphorescence and excellent stability. As revealed by in vivo NIR phosphorescence imaging data, the rodlike nanomicelle can selectively stain tumor sites with a long retention time. Moreover, the nanorods demonstrate effective anticancer activity by precisely killing tumor tissues without damaging healthy organs in vivo. To the best of our knowledge, this research provides the first example of metal-based complexes showing simultaneous NIR luminescence imaging and antitumor activity in vivo.