Fe–salphen complexes from intracellular pH-triggered degradation of Fe3O4@Salphen-InIII CPPs for selectively killing cancer cells

We propose a modular synthetic strategy to constitute metallosalphen prodrugs in the form of coordination polymer nanoparticles , comprising magnetite nanocrystal colloidal cluster as core and salphen-In III coordination polymer as shell. These composite nanoparticles are not only equipped with intense photoluminescence , sensitive magnetic responsiveness and pH-dependent degradability, but also serve as prodrugs to accomplish intercellular conversion from non-toxic nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 @Salphen-In III ) to pharmacologically active complexes (Fe–salphen), allowing to specifically inhibit the proliferation of A549 cancer cells via caspase activation.