Acrylic resin-coated rhodamine-6G/isorhamnetin/nido-carborane fluorescent complexes: Photophysical properties, drug release, and tumor cell imaging studies

Biocompatibility and solubility problems of the isorhamnetin-nido-carborane complex were resolved by creating four fluorescent complexes using a one-pot method: L100-55@rhodamine-6G/isorhamnetin/nido-carborane (RIC-1), EPO@rhodamine-6G/isorhamnetin/nido-carborane (RIC-2), RS@rhodamine-6G/isorhamnetin/nido-carborane (RIC-3), and RL@rhodamine-6G/isorhamnetin/nido-carborane (RIC-4). When it came to UV absorption stability, RIC-1 was unique among them. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis shows that RIC-1 forms a flocculent, network-like structure in the acrylic matrix with uniform dispersion, indicating a stable complex. Cytotoxicity and therapeutic potential were evaluated using CCK8 and cell uptake assays. With inhibition rates of 49-56% and 55-62%, respectively, RIC-1 showed low cytotoxicity and strong anti-tumor efficacy, specifically targeting PC3 and HeLa tumor cells. This study emphasizes the potential of this fluorescent complex, in particular RIC-1, for targeted cancer therapy as well as for better tumor imaging and therapeutic applications.