Ru₃₆₀ is an oxo-bridged dinuclear

ruthenium Ruthenium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ru and atomic number 44. It is a rare transition metal belonging to the platinum group of the periodic table. Like the other metals of the platinum group, ruthenium is inert to ...

ammine complex In coordination chemistry, metal ammine complexes are metal complexes containing at least one ammonia () ligand. "Ammine" is spelled this way due to historical reasons; in contrast, alkyl or aryl bearing ligands are spelt with a single "m". Almost ...

with an

absorption spectrum Absorption spectroscopy refers to spectroscopic techniques that measure the absorption of radiation, as a function of frequency or wavelength, due to its interaction with a sample. The sample absorbs energy, i.e., photons, from the radiating f ...

maximum at 360 nm. It is an

analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

ruthenium red The inorganic dye ammoniated ruthenium oxychloride, also known as ruthenium red, is used in histology to stain aldehyde fixed mucopolysaccharides. Ruthenium red (RR) has also been used as a pharmacological tool to study specific cellular mechani ...

, a well-known effective

inhibitor Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to: In biology * Enzyme inhibitor, a substance that binds to an enzyme and decreases the enzyme's activity * Reuptake inhibitor, a substance that increases neurotransmission by blocking the reuptake of a neurotra ...

of the

mitochondrial calcium uniporter The mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) is a transmembrane protein that allows the passage of calcium ions from a cell's cytosol into mitochondria. Its activity is regulated by MICU1 and MICU2, which together with the MCU make up the mitochon ...

. Ru₃₆₀ was discovered after scientists found that commercial preparations of ruthenium red were often less than 20% pure, and that the crude mixture produced a stronger inhibition than the purified product. This component was later isolated and its structure determined, Ru₃₆₀ has structural formula (μ-O) HCO₂)(NH₃)₄Rusub>2Cl₃, that is, an oxygen-linked chain only two

octahedral In geometry, an octahedron (plural: octahedra, octahedrons) is a polyhedron with eight faces. The term is most commonly used to refer to the regular octahedron, a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at ea ...

ruthenium–ammine units rather than the three of ruthenium red. One of the ruthenium atoms is in a +3 oxidation state, and the other in a +4 oxidation state. In addition to the four ammonia ligands, each ruthenium also has one

formate Formate (IUPAC name: methanoate) is the conjugate base of formic acid. Formate is an anion () or its derivatives such as ester of formic acid. The salts and esters are generally colorless.Werner Reutemann and Heinz Kieczka "Formic Acid" in ''Ull ...

group and there are a total of three chloride ions to balance the charge. In solution, chloride or hydroxide groups displace the formates. Since Ru₃₆₀ inhibits the flow of

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to ...

into

mitochondria A mitochondrion (; ) is an organelle found in the Cell (biology), cells of most Eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and Fungus, fungi. Mitochondria have a double lipid bilayer, membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosi ...

, which can prevent the opening of the

mitochondrial permeability transition pore The mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP or MPTP; also referred to as PTP, mTP or MTP) is a protein that is formed in the inner membrane of the mitochondria under certain pathological conditions such as traumatic brain injury and stroke ...

, it has been investigated as a therapeutic treatment for

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

and

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

References

{{Reflist Ruthenium complexes Ion channel blockers Formates Ammine complexes Chloro complexes Mixed valence compounds