A new strategy to build caged-compounds is presented. The approach is based on heterolytic photocleavage of a metal-ligand bond in a coordination compound. A ruthenium polypyridine complex, containing the neurocompound 4-amino pyridine (4AP) is used as the core of the phototrigger. The biomolecule is released by irradiation with visible light (>480 nm). The liberated 4AP promotes the activation of a leech neuron by means of blocking its K+ channels. The syntesis, characterization, and the inherent advantages of this method are discussed.

The synthesis and characterization of a series of ruthenium bis(bipyridine) complexes where the inorganic moiety acts as a photolabile protecting group is described. Complexes of the type [Ru(bpy)2L2]+ where bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine and L = butylamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, tyramine, tryptamine, and serotonin were studied by nuclear magnetic resonance, cyclic voltammetry, and electronic absorption spectroscopy. In all cases, ligands are coordinated by the amine group. The complexes are stable in water for several days and deliver one molecule of ligand upon irradiation with visible light (450 nm). These properties make them suitable for their use as biological caged compounds.

Octahedral Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes constitute a superb platform to devise photoactive triggers capable of delivering entire molecules in a reliable, fast, efficient and clean way. Ruthenium coordination chemistry opens the way to caging a wide range of molecules, such as amino acids, nucleotides, neurotransmitters, fluorescent probes and genetic inducers. Contrary to other phototriggers, these Ru-based caged compounds are active with visible light, and can be photolysed even at 532 nm (green), enabling the use of simple and inexpensive equipment. These compounds are also active in the two-photon regime, a property that extends their scope to systems where IR light must be used to achieve high precision and penetrability. The state of the art and the future of ruthenium polypyridyl phototriggers are discussed, and several new applications are presented.