The
fi
rst aim of the present study is the development of a new ruthenium(III) complex, belonging to NAMI-A
class, with a potentially high cytotoxic ability. The presence of a fully protected sugar moiety as ruthenium
ligand should increase the complex ability to cross cellular membranes. Furthermore, it sets this molecule in the
area of biocompatible agents as tumor drug. The second, more relevant, purpose is to verify the ruthenium
complexes activity after loading into liposomes. We reported the characterization and in vitro biological assays
of pyridine derivatives of ruthenium complexes loaded into Egg
L
-
α
-phosphatidylcholine cholesterol/DSPE-PEG
liposomes. Dynamic light scattering estimates that the sizes of all obtained liposomes are in the 100 nm range.
This value is suitable for in vivo use. The loading ability and release kinetic allowed selecting the best ratio
between the lipid fraction and metal to be tested in cellular experiments. The growth inhibitory e
ff
ects of both
liposomal and free complex in PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines demonstrate a high cytotoxic ability of the liposome
entrapped ruthenium (III) complex suggesting additional role further the antimetastatic function.