The water-soluble rhenium(I) complex fac-[Re(bpy)(CO)(3)(thp)](+) (1) [CF(3)SO(3)(-) salt; bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, thp = tris(hydroxymethyl)phosphine] is both strongly luminescent and photoactive toward carbon monoxide release. It is stable in aerated aqueous media, is incorporated into cells from the human prostatic carcinoma cell line PPC-1, and shows no apparent cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the solvated Re(I) photoproduct of CO release (2) is also luminescent, a feature that allows one to track the transformation of 1 to 2 inside such cells using confocal fluorescence microscopy. In this context, 1 is a very promising candidate as a photoactivated CO releasing moiety (photoCORM) with potential therapeutic applications.

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Amphiphilic polymer conjugates with upconverting nanoparticles serve as water-soluble nanocarriers for NIR-photochemical delivery of CO from hydrophobic photoCORMS.