We report on chemistry and cytotoxic studies of four new ruthenium (II) complexes containing uracil derivatives. All compounds are neutral, presenting the formula [Ru(PPh3)2(2TU) Show more
We report on chemistry and cytotoxic studies of four new ruthenium (II) complexes containing uracil derivatives. All compounds are neutral, presenting the formula [Ru(PPh3)2(2TU)2] (1), [Ru(PPh3)2(6m2TU)2] (2), [Ru(dppb)(2TU)2] (3) and [Ru(dppb)(6m2TU)2] (4), where PPh3 = triphenylphosphine; dppb = 1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane, 2TU = 2-thiouracil and 6m2TU = 6-methyl-2-thiouracil. They were characterized using NMR, UV-vis and IR spectroscopies, microanalytical analysis and mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the crystal structures of 1-4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The coordination of 2-thiouracil derivatives with ruthenium increases regions able to carry out hydrogen bonds with the biological targets, such as DNA. We evaluated the interaction of the complexes with DNA by UV/Vis spectrophotometric titration, and as a result, the values of DNA-binding constants are in the range of 0.8-1.8 × 104 M-1. Moreover, the interaction of the complexes with BSA was investigated. In vitro, activities against B16-F10 (mouse melanoma), HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma), HL-60 (human promyelocytic leukemia) and K562 (human chronic myelocytic leukemia) and non-tumor cells: PBMC (human peripheral blood mononuclear cells activated with concanavalin A - human lymphoblast) were carried out. Cytotoxicity assays revealed that complexes (2) and (4) present biological activity against tumor cells comparable with oxaliplatin, the reference platinum drug, revealing that they are promising molecules for developing new antitumor compounds. Show less
Piplartine (piperlongumine) is a plant-derived molecule that has been receiving intense interest due to its anticancer characteristics that target the oxidative stress. In the present paper, two novel Show more
Piplartine (piperlongumine) is a plant-derived molecule that has been receiving intense interest due to its anticancer characteristics that target the oxidative stress. In the present paper, two novel piplartine-containing ruthenium complexes [Ru(piplartine)(dppf)(bipy)](PF6)2 (1) and [Ru(piplartine)(dppb)(bipy)](PF6)2 (2) were synthesized and investigated for their cellular and molecular responses on cancer cell lines. We found that both complexes are more potent than metal-free piplartine in a panel of cancer cell lines on monolayer cultures, as well in 3D model of cancer multicellular spheroids formed from human colon carcinoma HCT116 cells. Mechanistic studies uncovered that the complexes reduced the cell growth and caused phosphatidylserine externalization, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, caspase-3 activation and loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential on HCT116 cells. Moreover, the pre-treatment with Z-VAD(OMe)-FMK, a pan-caspase inhibitor, reduced the complexes-induced apoptosis, indicating cell death by apoptosis through caspase-dependent and mitochondrial intrinsic pathways. Treatment with the complexes also caused a marked increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion and nitric oxide, and decreased reduced glutathione levels. Application of N-acetyl-cysteine, an antioxidant, reduced the ROS levels and apoptosis induced by the complexes, indicating activation of ROS-mediated apoptosis pathway. RNA transcripts of several genes, including gene related to the cell cycle, apoptosis and oxidative stress, were regulated under treatment. However, the complexes failed to induce DNA intercalation. In conclusion, the complexes are more potent than piplartine against different cancer cell lines and are able to induce caspase-dependent and mitochondrial intrinsic apoptosis on HCT116 cells by ROS-mediated pathway. Show less