Vesicles Functionalized with a CO-Releasing Molecule for Light-Induced CO Delivery

In this paper, a new type of methodology to deliver carbon monoxide (CO) for biological applications has been introduced. An amphiphilic manganese carbonyl complex (1.Mn) incorporated into the 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine lipid vesicles has been reported first time for the photoinduced release of CO. The liposomes (Ves-1.Mn) gradually released CO under light at 365 nm over a period of 50 min with a half-time of 26.5 min. The CO-releasing ability of vesicles appended with 1.Mn complexes has been confirmed by myoglobin assay and infrared study. The vesicles appended with 1.Mn have the advantages of biocompatibility, water solubility, and steady and slow CO release. This approach could be a rational approach for applying various water-insoluble photoinduced CO donors in aqueous media by using vesicles as a nanocarrier for CO release.