Three generations of pyrenyl bis-MPA dendrimers with two different end-groups, acetonide (pyrGn) or alcohol (pyrGn-OH) (n = 1–3), were synthesized, and the pyrenyl group of the dendritic molecules was encapsulated in the arene ruthenium metallacages, [Ru6(p-cymene) 6 (OO∩OO)3(tpt)2]6+ (OO∩OO = 5,8-dioxydo- 1,4-naphtaquinonato (donq) [1]6+ and 6,11-dioxydo-5,12- naphtacenedionato (dotq) [2]6+; tpt =2,4,6-tri(pyridin-4-yl)-1,3,5-triazine). The host–guest properties of [guestC1]6+ and [guestC2]6+ were studied in solution by NMR and UV–vis spectroscopic methods, thus allowing the determination of the affinity constants. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of these water- soluble host–guest systems and the pyrenyl-dendrimers was evaluated on human ovarian cancer cells
