# In Situ Lipid Interactions of an Anticancer Metal Complex

## TL;DR

A new anticancer metal complex interacts with cell lipids, showing strong effects on membranes and lipid structures in cancer cells.

## Contribution

The discovery of unexpected lipid targeting and supramolecular interactions of a Rh(III) anticancer complex.

## Key findings

- The Rh(III) complex accumulates in plasma membranes and shows intense luminescence in cancer cells.
- The complex induces lipid droplet architecture remodeling and interacts strongly with glycerophosphorylcholine lipids.
- Multimodal imaging and DFT modeling reveal deep penetration into lipid-rich tissues.

## Abstract

An integrated multimodal imaging workflow of cryogenic
super-resolution
fluorescence microscopy and soft X-ray tomography, Orbitrap secondary
ion mass spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry
has revealed the unexpected targeting of a half-sandwich cyclopentadienyl
Rh­(III) phenylazopyridine anticancer complex to cellular lipid membranes
and lipid droplets. The complex accumulates in plasma membranes with
a surprisingly intense switch-on luminescence in living cancer cells,
drives remodeling of lipid droplet architecture, and penetrates deeply
into lipid-rich tissue environments. DFT modeling shows strong supramolecular
interactions between the complex and glycer­ophos­phoryl­choline
lipids.