👤 Ren T

Two ruthenium(II) complexes containing guanidinium ligands have been synthesized and characterized for the first time. It was found that the two complexes exhibit moderate antitumor activity in Hela, A549, CNE-2, MCF-7, and HepG2 human tumor cells. Flow cytometric analysis showed that both complexes arrested the cell cycle in the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis in Hela cells. Mechanism studies indicate that both complexes induced apoptosis through caspase- and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent pathways. Additionally, the two complexes displayed higher phototoxicity to tumor cells and almost no influence on normal liver LO2 cells upon irradiation at 450nm. Show less

Ruthenium (Ru) complexes are currently the focus of substantial interest because of their potential application as chemotherapeutic agents with broad anticancer activities. This study investigated the in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities and mechanisms of two Ru complexes-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-Octaethyl-21H,23H-porphine Ru(II) carbonyl (Ru1) and 5,10,15,20-Tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine Ru(II) carbonyl (Ru2)-against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. These Ru complexes effectively inhibited the cellular growth of three human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, with IC50 values ranging from 2.7-7.3 μM. In contrast, the complexes exhibited lower toxicity towards L02 human liver normal cells with IC50 values of 20.4 and 24.8 μM, respectively. Moreover, Ru2 significantly inhibited HepG2 cell migration and invasion, and these effects were dose-dependent. The mechanistic studies demonstrated that Ru2 induced HCC cell apoptosis, as evidenced by DNA fragmentation and nuclear condensation, which was predominately triggered via caspase family member activation. Furthermore, HCC cell treatment significantly decreased the expression levels of Nrf2 and its downstream effectors,

Nad(p)h

quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO1). Ru2 also exhibited potent in vivo anticancer efficacy in a tumor-bearing nude mouse model, as demonstrated by a time- and dose-dependent inhibition on tumor growth. The results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of Ru complexes against HCC via Nrf2 pathway regulation. Show less

A new class of cyclometalated Ir(iii) complexes supported by various bidentate C-deprotonated (C^N) and cis-chelating bis(N-heterocyclic carbene) (bis-NHC) ligands has been synthesized. These complexes display strong emission in deaerated solutions at room temperature with photoluminescence quantum yields up to 89% and emission lifetimes up to 96 μs. A photo-stable complex containing C-deprotonated fluorenyl-substituted C^N shows no significant decomposition even upon irradiation for over 120 h by blue LEDs (12 W). These, together with the strong absorption in the visible region and rich photo-redox properties, allow the bis-NHC Ir(iii) complexes to act as good photo-catalysts for reductive C-C bond formation from C(sp³/sp²)-Br bonds cleavage using visible-light irradiation (λ > 440 nm). A water-soluble complex with a glucose-functionalized bis-NHC ligand catalysed a visible-light-driven radical cyclization for the synthesis of pyrrolidine in aqueous media. Also, the bis-NHC Ir(iii) complex in combination with a cobalt catalyst can catalyse the visible-light-driven CO₂ reduction with excellent turnover numbers (>2400) and selectivity (CO over H₂ in gas phase: >95%). Additionally, this series of bis-NHC Ir(iii) complexes are found to localize in and stain endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of various cell lines with high selectivity, and exhibit high cytotoxicity towards cancer cells, revealing their potential uses as bioimaging and/or anti-cancer agents. Show less

Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes show great promise as new photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents. However, a lack of detailed understanding of their mode of action in cells poses a challenge to their development. We have designed a new Ru(II) PDT candidate that efficiently enters cells by incorporation of the lipophilic aromatic pdppz ([2,3-h]dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine) ligand and exhibits photoactivity through incorporation of 1,4,5,8-tetraazaphenanthrene ancillary ligands. Its photoreactivity toward biomolecules was studied in vitro, where light activation caused DNA cleavage. Cellular internalization occurred via an energy dependent mechanism. Confocal and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the complex localizes in various organelles, including the mitochondria. The complex is nontoxic in the dark, with cellular clearance within 96 h; however, upon visible light activation it induces caspase-dependent and reactive-oxygen-species-dependent apoptosis, with low micromolar IC50 values. This investigation greatly increases our understanding of such systems in cellulo, aiding development and realization of their application in cancer therapy. Show less

Sixteen hydrazinyl-thiazolo arene ruthenium complexes of the general formula [(η(6)-p-cymene)Ru(N,N'-hydrazinyl-thiazolo)Cl]Cl were synthesized. All complexes were tested in vitro for their antiproliferative activity on three tumor cell lines (HeLa, A2780, and A2780cisR) and on a noncancerous cell line (HFL-1). A superior cytotoxic activity of the ruthenium complexes as compared to cisplatin and oxaliplatin, on both cisplatin-sensitive and cisplatin resistant ovarian cancer cells, was observed. In addition, the biological activity of two selected derivatives was evaluated using microarray gene expression assay and ingenuity pathway analysis. p53 signaling was identified as an important pathway modulated by both arene ruthenium compounds. New activated molecules such as FAS, ZMAT3, PRMT2, BBC3/PUMA, and PDCD4, whose overexpressions are correlated with overcoming resistance to cisplatin therapy, were also identified as potential targets. Moreover, the arene ruthenium complexes can be used in association with cisplatin to prevent cisplatin resistance development and synergistically to induce cell death in ovarian cancer cells. Show less

Five Ru(II)-N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) (1-5) were synthesized by reacting the appropriately substituted imidazolium chlorides with Ag2O, forming the NHC-silver chloride in situ followed by transmetalation with dimeric p-cymene ruthenium(II) dichloride. All the complexes were characterized by NMR and ESI-MS, and complex 1 was also characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The IC50 values of these five complexes were determined by the MTT-based assay on four human cancer cell lines, SKOV-3 (ovarian), PC-3 (prostate), MDA-MB-231 (breast) and EC109 (esophagus). The cytotoxicities of these complexes changed from a moderate effect to a fine one, corresponding to the increasing lipophilicity order of the complex of 2 < 1 < 3 < 4 < 5 (0.91, 0.88, 1.36, 1.85 and 2.62 for 1–5 respectively). Complex 5 showed the most cytotoxicity with the IC50 values 10.3 ± 0.3 μM for SKOV-3, 2.9 ± 0.1 μM for PC-3, 8.2 ± 0.6 μM for MDA-MB-231, 6.4 ± 0.2 μM for EC109 cell lines. Due to the superior cytotoxicity of complex 5 against the PC-3 cell lines, further biological evaluations were carried out to elucidate its action mechanism. The morphologic changes and cell cycle analysis showed that complex 5 can inhibit PC-3 cell lines by inducing cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. The DNA binding experiments further demonstrate that complex 5 has a better binding ability for DNA (Kb = 2.2 × 10(6) M(-1)) than complexes 1-4 (3.8 × 10(5), 7.0 × 10(5), 5.7 × 10(5), and 1.9 × 10(5) respectively). Show less

In the present work a novel C,N-cyclometalated benzimidazole Ru(ii) arene complex (GY34) was characterized by applying an alternative, diverse approach considering both chemical and biological aspects. RP-HPLC-ICP-MS and RP-HPLC-ESI-MS analysis proved that GY34 in both RPMI-1640 cell medium and ammonium acetate buffer was transformed into several subspecies and the importance of evaluating and controlling analyte stability throughout experiments was demonstrated. Applying a novel cell fractionation protocol GY34 was found to target cell nuclei and mitochondria in Ehrlich Lettré Ascites (ELA) cells, with the intracellular distribution depending on GY34 concentration in the cell medium during incubation. In ELA cells 96 ± 0.2% of cytosolic GY34 was bound to high-molecular species. Furthermore, using the tracer technique GY34 was found to reduce uptake and increase release of the organic osmolyte taurine in ELA cells, with innate resistance to Cisplatin and in A2780 human ovarian cancer cells, with acquired resistance to Cisplatin. Importantly, FACS analysis revealed that GY34 induced apoptosis in ELA cells. The present data suggest the potential of GY34 in overcoming Cisplatin resistance. The methodology applied can be used as a general protocol and an additional tool in the initial evaluation of novel metal-based drugs. Show less

[Ru(η(6)-p-cym)Cl{dpa(CH2)4COOEt}][PF6] (cym=cymene; dpa=2,2'-dipyridylamine; complex 2) was prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, as well as ESI-MS and X-ray structural analysis. The structural analog without a side chain [Ru(η(6)-p-cym)Cl(dpa)][PF6] (1) as well as 2 were investigated in vitro against 518A2, SW480, 8505C, A253 and MCF-7 cell lines. Complex 1 is active against all investigated tumor cell lines while the activity of compound 2 is limited only to caspase 3 deficient MCF-7 breast cancer cells, however, both are less active than cisplatin. As CD4(+)Th cells are necessary to trigger all the immune effector mechanisms required to eliminate tumor cells, besides testing the in vitro antitumor activity of 1 and 2, the effect of ruthenium(II) complexes on the cells of the adaptive immune system have also been evaluated. Importantly, complex 1 applied in concentrations which were effective against tumor cells did not affect immune cell viability, nor did exert a general immunosuppressive effect on cytokine production. Thus, beneficial characteristics of 1 might contribute to the overall therapeutic properties of the complex. Show less

Pyridine- and phosphine-based ligands modified with ethacrynic acid (a broad acting glutathione transferase inhibitor) were prepared and coordinated to ruthenium(II)-arene complexes and to a ruthenium(III) NAMI-A type complex. All the compounds (ligands and complexes) were fully characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods and, in one case, by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The in vitro anticancer activity of the compounds was studied, with the compounds displaying moderate cytotoxicity toward the human ovarian cancer cell lines. All the complexes led to similar levels of residual GST activity in the different cell lines, irrespective of the stability of the Ru-ligand bond. Show less

The investigation of the hydrogen-bonding effect on the aggregation tendency of ruthenium compounds [(η⁶-p-cymene)Ru(κNHR,κNOH)Cl]Cl (R = Ph (1a), Bn (1b)) and [(η⁶-p-cymene)Ru(κ²NH(2-pic),κNOH)][PF₆]₂ (1c), [(η⁶-p-cymene)Ru(κNHBn,κNO)Cl] (2b) and [(η⁶-p-cymene)Ru(κNBn,κ²NO)] (3b), has been performed by means of concentration dependence ¹H NMR chemical shifts and DOSY experiments. The synthesis and full characterization of new compounds 1c, [(η⁶-p-cymene)Ru(κNPh,κ²NO)] (3a) and 3b are also reported. The effect of the water soluble ruthenium complexes 1a-1c on cytotoxicity, cell adhesion and cell migration of the androgen-independent prostate cancer PC3 cells have been assessed by MTT, adhesion to type-I-collagen and recovery of monolayer wounds assays, respectively. Interactions of 1a-1c with DNA and human serum albumin have also been studied. Altogether, the properties reported herein suggest that ruthenium compounds 1a-1c have considerable potential as anticancer agents against advanced prostate cancer. Show less

Polypharmacology has emerged as novel means in drug discovery for improving treatment response in clinical use. However, to really capitalize on the polypharmacological effects of drugs, there is a critical need to better model and understand how the complex interactions between drugs and their cellular targets contribute to drug efficacy and possible side effects. Network graphs provide a convenient modeling framework for dealing with the fact that most drugs act on cellular systems through targeting multiple proteins both through on-target and off-target binding. Network pharmacology models aim at addressing questions such as how and where in the disease network should one target to inhibit disease phenotypes, such as cancer growth, ideally leading to therapies that are less vulnerable to drug resistance and side effects by means of attacking the disease network at the systems level through synergistic and synthetic lethal interactions. Since the exponentially increasing number of potential drug target combinations makes pure experimental approach quickly unfeasible, this review depicts a number of computational models and algorithms that can effectively reduce the search space for determining the most promising combinations for experimental evaluation. Such computational-experimental strategies are geared toward realizing the full potential of multi-target treatments in different disease phenotypes. Our specific focus is on system-level network approaches to polypharmacology designs in anticancer drug discovery, where we give representative examples of how network-centric modeling may offer systematic strategies toward better understanding and even predicting the phenotypic responses to multi-target therapies. Show less

Improving the selectivity of anticancer drugs towards cancer cells is one of the main goals of drug optimization; the prodrug strategy has been one of the most promising. A light-triggered prodrug strategy is presented as an efficient approach for controlling cytotoxicity of the substitutionally inert cytotoxic complex [Ru(dppz)2(CppH)](PF6)2(C1; CppH=2-(2-pyridyl)pyrimidine-4-carboxylic acid; dppz=dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine). Attachment of a photolabile 3-(4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrophenyl)-2-butyl (DMNPB) ester ("photocaging") makes the otherwise active complex C1 innocuous to both cancerous (HeLa and U2OS) and non-cancerous (MRC-5) cells. The cytotoxic action can be successfully unleashed in living cells upon light illumination (350 nm), reaching similar level of activity as the parent cytotoxic compound C1. This is the first substitutionally inert cytotoxic metal complex to be used as a light-triggered prodrug candidate. Show less

The effect of the PPh3 group in the antitumor activity of some new organometallic ruthenium(II) complexes has been investigated. Several complexes of the type [Ru((II))(Cl)(PPh3)(Lig-N)], [Ru((II))(Cl)2(Lig-N)] (where Lig-N=pyridine derivate) and [Ru((II))(Cl)(PPh3)2], have been synthesized and characterized. A noticeable increment of the antitumor activity and cytotoxicity of the complexes due to the presence of PPh3 moiety has also been demonstrated, affording IC50 values of 5.2 μM in HL-60 tumor cell lines. Atomic force microscopy, circular dichroism and electrophoresis experiments have proved that these complexes can bind DNA resulting in a distortion of both secondary and tertiary structures. Ethidium bromide displacement fluorescence spectroscopy studies and viscosity measurements support that the presence of PPh3 group induces intercalation interactions with DNA. Indeed, crystallographic analysis, suggest that intra-molecular π-π interactions could be involved in the intercalation within DNA base pairs. Furthermore, high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) studies have confirmed a strong interaction between ruthenium complexes and proteins (ubiquitin and potato carboxypeptidase inhibitor - PCI) including slower kinetics due to the presence of PPh3 moiety, which could have an important role in detoxification mechanism and others. Finally, ion mobility mass spectrometry (IMMS) experiments have proved that there is no significant change in the gas phase structural conformation of the proteins owing to their bonding to ruthenium complexes. Show less

Ruthenium anticancer drugs belong to the most promising non-platinum anticancer metal compounds in clinical evaluation. However, although the clinical results are promising regarding both activity and very low adverse effects, the clinical application is currently hampered by the limited solubility and stability of the drug in aqueous solution. Here, we present a new nanoparticle formulation based on polymer-based micelles loaded with the anticancer lead ruthenium compound KP1019. Nanoprepared KP1019 was characterised by enhanced stability in aqueous solutions. Moreover, the nanoparticle formulation facilitated cellular accumulation of KP1019 (determined by ICP-MS measurements) resulting in significantly lowered IC50 values. With regard to the mode of action, increased cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase (PI-staining), DNA damage (Comet assay) as well as enhanced levels of apoptotic cell death (caspase 7 and PARP cleavage) were found in HCT116 cells treated with the new nanoformulation of KP1019. Summarizing, we present for the first time evidence that nanoformulation is a feasible strategy for improving the stability as well as activity of experimental anticancer ruthenium compounds. Show less

Two Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes, Ru(DIP)2(bdt) (1) and [Ru(dqpCO2Me)(ptpy)](2+) (2) (DIP = 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline, bdt = 1,2-benzenedithiolate, dqpCO2Me = 4-methylcarboxy-2,6-di(quinolin-8-yl)pyridine), ptpy = 4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2″-terpyridine) have been investigated as photosensitizers (PSs) for photodynamic therapy (PDT). In our experimental settings, the phototoxicity and phototoxic index (PI) of 2 (IC50(light): 25.3 μM, 420 nm, 6.95 J/cm(2); PI >4) and particularly of 1 (IC50(light): 0.62 μM, 420 nm, 6.95 J/cm(2); PI: 80) are considerably superior compared to the two clinically approved PSs porfimer sodium and 5-aminolevulinic acid. Cellular uptake and distribution of these complexes was investigated by confocal microscopy (1) and by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (1 and 2). Their phototoxicity was also determined against the Gram-(+) Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-(-) Escherichia coli for potential antimicrobial PDT (aPDT) applications. Both complexes showed significant aPDT activity (420 nm, 8 J/cm(2)) against Gram-(+) (S. aureus; >6 log10 CFU reduction) and, for 2, also against Gram-(-) E. coli (>4 log10 CFU reduction). Show less

The water-soluble and visible luminescent complexes cis-[Ru(L-L)2(L)2](2+) where L-L = 2,2-bipyridine and 1,10-phenanthroline and L= imidazole, 1-methylimidazole, and histamine have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques. Spectroscopic (circular dichroism, saturation transfer difference NMR, and diffusion ordered spectroscopy NMR) and isothermal titration calorimetry studies indicate binding of cis-[Ru(phen)2(ImH)2](2+) and human serum albumin occurs via noncovalent interactions with K(b) = 9.8 × 10(4) mol(-1) L, ΔH = -11.5 ± 0.1 kcal mol(-1), and TΔS = -4.46 ± 0.3 kcal mol(-1). High uptake of the complex into HCT116 cells was detected by luminescent confocal microscopy. Cytotoxicity of cis-[Ru(phen)2(ImH)2](2+) against proliferation of HCT116p53(+/+) and HCT116p53(-/-) shows IC50 values of 0.1 and 0.7 μmol L(-1). Flow cytometry and western blot indicate RuphenImH mediates cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase in both cells and is more prominent in p53(+/+). The complex activates proapoptotic PARP in p53(-/-), but not in p53(+/+). A cytostatic mechanism based on quantification of the number of cells during the time period of incubation is suggested. Show less

Life is the harnessing of chemical energy in such a way that the energy-harnessing device makes a copy of itself. This paper outlines an energetically feasible path from a particular inorganic setting for the origin of life to the first free-living cells. The sources of energy available to early organic synthesis, early evolving systems and early cells stand in the foreground, as do the possible mechanisms of their conversion into harnessable chemical energy for synthetic reactions. With regard to the possible temporal sequence of events, we focus on: (i) alkaline hydrothermal vents as the far-from-equilibrium setting, (ii) the Wood-Ljungdahl (acetyl-CoA) pathway as the route that could have underpinned carbon assimilation for these processes, (iii) biochemical divergence, within the naturally formed inorganic compartments at a hydrothermal mound, of geochemically confined replicating entities with a complexity below that of free-living prokaryotes, and (iv) acetogenesis and methanogenesis as the ancestral forms of carbon and energy metabolism in the first free-living ancestors of the eubacteria and archaebacteria, respectively. In terms of the main evolutionary transitions in early bioenergetic evolution, we focus on: (i) thioester-dependent substrate-level phosphorylations, (ii) harnessing of naturally existing proton gradients at the vent-ocean interface via the ATP synthase, (iii) harnessing of Na(+) gradients generated by H(+)/Na(+) antiporters, (iv) flavin-based bifurcation-dependent gradient generation, and finally (v) quinone-based (and Q-cycle-dependent) proton gradient generation. Of those five transitions, the first four are posited to have taken place at the vent. Ultimately, all of these bioenergetic processes depend, even today, upon CO2 reduction with low-potential ferredoxin (Fd), generated either chemosynthetically or photosynthetically, suggesting a reaction of the type 'reduced iron → reduced carbon' at the beginning of bioenergetic evolution. Show less

Taking advantage of the facile and versatile synthetic properties of 'click' 1,2,3-triazolylidene N-heterocyclic carbenes (tzNHC's), a range of new organometallic Ru(II) and Os(II) arene complexes containing functionalised tzNHC ligands, [M(η(6)-p-cymene)(tzNHC)Cl2] [M = Ru(II), Os(II)], have been synthesised and fully characterised, including the X-ray crystal structure of one of the Os(II) complexes. The tzNHC ligands remain coordinated to the metal centres under relevant physiological conditions, and following binding to the model protein, ubiquitin. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the compounds towards human ovarian cancer cells is dependent on the substituent on the tzNHC ligand but is generally <50 μM and in some cases <1 μM, whilst still retaining a high degree of selectivity towards cancer cells over healthy cells (1.85 μM in A2780 ovarian cancer cells versus 435 μM in human embryonic kidney cells in one case). Show less

KP1339 is a promising ruthenium-based anticancer compound in early clinical development. This study aimed to test the effects of KP1339 on the in vitro and in vivo activity of the multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib, the current standard first-line therapy for advanced hepatoma. Anticancer activity of the parental compounds as compared to the drug combination was tested against a panel of cancer cell lines with a focus on hepatoma. Combination of KP1339 with sorafenib induced in the majority of all cases distinctly synergistic effects, comprising both sorafenib-resistant as well as sorafenib-responsive cell models. Several mechanisms were found to underlie these multifaceted synergistic activities. Firstly, co-exposure induced significantly enhanced accumulation levels of both drugs resulting in enhanced apoptosis induction. Secondly, sorafenib blocked KP1339-mediated activation of P38 signalling representing a protective response against the ruthenium drug. In addition, sorafenib treatment also abrogated KP1339-induced G2/M arrest but resulted in check point-independent DNA-synthesis block and a complete loss of the mitotic cell populations. The activity of the KP1339/sorafenib combination was evaluated in the Hep3B hepatoma xenograft. KP1339 monotherapy led to a 2.4-fold increase in life span and, thus, was superior to sorafenib, which induced a 1.9-fold prolonged survival. The combined therapy further enhanced the mean survival by 3.9-fold. Synergistic activity was also observed in the VM-1 melanoma xenograft harbouring an activating braf mutation. Together, our data indicate that the combination of KP1339 with sorafenib displays promising activity in vitro and in vivo especially against human hepatoma models. Show less

Ruthenium complexes offer potential reduced toxicity compared to current platinum anticancer drugs. 1,2,3,4-tetrahydrisoquinoline amino alcohol ligands were synthesised, characterised and coordinated to an organometallic Ru(II) centre. These complexes were evaluated for activity against the cancer cell lines MCF-7, A549 and MDA-MB-231 as well as for toxicity in the normal cell line MDBK. They were observed to be moderately active against only the MCF-7 cells with the best IC₅₀ value of 34 μM for the cis-diastereomeric complex C4. They also displayed excellent selectivity by being relatively inactive against the normal MDBK cell line with SI values ranging from 2.3 to 7.4. Show less

The synthesis and characterization of cationic ruthenium(II) complexes of the type [Ru(η(6)-p-cym)Cl{Ph(2)P(CH(2))(n)S(O)(x)Ph-κP,κS}][PF(6)] (n = 1-3; x = 0, 1; p-cym = p-cymene) are presented. Furthermore, their high biological potential even against cisplatin-resistant tumor cell lines and their structure-activity relationships are discussed. Show less

The synthesis and full characterization of the new aqua-complex [(η(6)-p-cymene)Ru(OH2)(κ(2)-N,N-2-pydaT)](BF4)2, [2](BF4)2, and the nucleobase derivative [(η(6)-p-cymene)Ru(9-MeG)(κ(2)-N,N-2-pydaT)](BF4)2, [4](PF6)2, where 2-pydaT = 2,4-diamino-6-(2-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine and 9-MeG = 9-methylguanine, are reported here. The crystal structures of both [4](PF6)2 and the chloro complex [(η(6)-p-cymene)RuCl(κ(2)-N,N-2-pydaT)](PF6), [1](PF6), have been elucidated by X-ray diffraction. The former provided relevant information regarding the interaction of the metallic fragment [(η(6)-p-cymene)Ru(κ(2)-N,N-2-pydaT)](2+) and a simple model of DNA. NMR and kinetic absorbance studies have proven that the aqua-complex [2](BF4)2 binds to the N7 site of guanine in nucleobases, nucleotides, or DNA. A stable bifunctional interaction (covalent and partially intercalated) between the [(η(6)-p-cymene)Ru(κ(2)-N,N-2-pydaT)](2+) fragment and CT-DNA has been corroborated by kinetic, circular dichroism, viscometry, and thermal denaturation experiments. The reaction mechanism entails the very fast formation of the Ru-O-(PO3) linkage prior to the fast intercalation of the 2-pydaT fragment. Then, a Ru-N7-(G) covalent bond is formed at the expense of the Ru-O-(PO3) bond, yielding a bifunctional complex. The dissociation rate of the intercalated fragment is slow, and this confers additional interest to [2](BF4)2 in view of the likely correlation between slow dissociation and biological activity, on the assumption that DNA is the only biotarget. Furthermore, [2](BF4)2 displays notable pH-dependent cytotoxic activity in human ovarian carcinoma cells (A2780, IC50 = 11.0 μM at pH = 7.4; IC50 = 6.58 μM at pH = 6.5). What is more, complex [2](BF4)2 is not cross-resistant with cisplatin, exhibiting a resistance factor, RF(A2780cis), of 0.28, and it shows moderate selectivity toward the cancer cell lines, in particular, A2780cis (IC50 = 3.0 5 ± 0.08 μM), relative to human lung fibroblast cells (MRC-5; IC50 = 24 μM), the model for healthy cells. Show less

Analogues of KP1019 containing iodinated indazole ligands were prepared to investigate the biological fate of the Ru-N-heterocycle bond in this class of anticancer agents. The new complexes, 5-iodoindazolium trans-tetrachloridobis(5-iodoindazole)ruthen(III)ate (1) and 5-iodoindazolium trans-tetrachlorido(dimethyl sulfoxide)(5-iodoindazole)ruthen(III)ate (3), were characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry and UV-vis spectrophotometry. Tetramethylammonium salts of these complexes (2 and 4) were synthesized and characterized in a similar manner. Half-maximum inhibitory concentrations of 2 and 4 with regard to A549 cells at 24 h were determined on the basis of the dose-response curves derived from real-time cell adhesion impedance measurements and were shown to be in the same range as those determined for KP1019 and NAMI-A using the same method. X-ray fluorescence imaging of single cultured A549 cells treated with 2 or 4 showed that, in both cases, the distribution of ruthenium and iodine was identical, indicating that the Ru-N bonds in the anionic complexes remained intact after incubation in culture medium and subsequent cellular uptake and processing. Show less

Two ruthenium(III) complexes composed of 5,7-ditertbutyl-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine (dbtp) ligands were prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography, IR, UV-Vis, EPR spectroscopies and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The crystal structures of trans-[RuCl(3)(H(2)O)(dbtp)(2)] 1 and mer-[RuCl(3)(dbtp)(3)]·0.815OCMe(2) 2 showed slightly distorted octahedral geometries with two 1 or three 2 monodentate dbtp ligands bound in a head-to-head orientation. In both complexes, the heterocyclic dbtp ligands were bound to the ruthenium(III) ion through the N3 nitrogen atom. A cytotoxicity assay of both ruthenium(III) compounds against two human cell lines (A549 - non-small cell lung carcinoma and T47D - breast carcinoma) was performed. The ruthenium(III) complexes showed excellent cytotoxicity with IC(50) values in the range of 0.02-2.4 μM against both cancer cell lines. In addition, the in vitro cytotoxic values of the ruthenium(III) compounds were 35-times for 1 and 172-times for 2 higher against T47D than the clinically used antitumor drug cisplatin. Show less

A great majority of the Ru complexes currently studied in anticancer research exert their antiproliferative activity, at least partially, through ligand exchange. In recent years, however, coordinatively saturated and substitutionally inert polypyridyl Ru(II) compounds have emerged as potential anticancer drug candidates. In this work, we present the synthesis and detailed characterization of two novel inert Ru(II) complexes, namely, [Ru(bipy)(2)(Cpp-NH-Hex-COOH)](2+) (2) and [Ru(dppz)(2)(CppH)](2+) (3) (bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine; CppH = 2-(2'-pyridyl)pyrimidine-4-carboxylic acid; Cpp-NH-Hex-COOH = 6-(2-(pyridin-2-yl)pyrimidine-4-carboxamido)hexanoic acid; dppz = dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine). 3 is of particular interest as it was found to have IC(50) values comparable to cisplatin, a benchmark standard in the field, on three cancer cell lines and a better activity on one cisplatin-resistant cell line than cisplatin itself. The mechanism of action of 3 was then investigated in detail and it could be demonstrated that, although 3 binds to calf-thymus DNA by intercalation, the biological effects that it induces did not involve a nuclear DNA related mode of action. On the contrary, confocal microscopy colocalization studies in HeLa cells showed that 3 specifically targeted mitochondria. This was further correlated by ruthenium quantification using High-resolution atomic absorption spectrometry. Furthermore, as determined by two independent assays, 3 induced apoptosis at a relatively late stage of treatment. The generation of reactive oxygen species could be excluded as the cause of the observed cytotoxicity. It was demonstrated that the mitochondrial membrane potential in HeLa was impaired by 3 as early as 2 h after its introduction and even more with increasing time. Show less

Ruthenium complexes hold great potential as alternatives to cisplatin in cancer chemotherapy. We present results on the in vitro antitumor activity of an organometallic 'Ru(II)Cp' complex, [Ru(II)Cp(bipy)(PPh(3))][CF(3)SO(3)], designated as TM34 (PPh(3) = triphenylphosphine; bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine), against a panel of human tumor cell lines with different responses to cisplatin treatment, namely ovarian (A2780/A2780cisR, cisplatin sensitive and resistant, respectively), breast (MCF7) and prostate (PC3) adenocarcinomas. TM34 is very active against all tumorigenic cell lines, its efficacy largely surpassing that of cisplatin (CisPt). The high activity of TM34 towards CisPt resistant cell lines possibly suggests a mechanism of action distinct from that of CisPt. The effect of TM34 on the activity of the enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) involved in DNA repair mechanisms and apoptotic pathways was also evaluated, and it was found to be a strong PARP-1 ruthenium inhibitor in the low micromolar range (IC(50)=1.0 ± 0.3 μM). TM34 quickly binds to human serum albumin forming a 1:1 complex with a conditional stability constant (log K'~4.0), comparable to that of the Ru(III) complex in clinical trial KP1019. This indicates that TM34 can be efficiently transported by this protein, possibly being involved in its distribution and delivery if the complex is introduced in the blood stream. Albumin binding does not affect TM34 activity, yielding an adduct that maintains cytotoxic properties (against A2780 and A2780cisR cells). Altogether, the properties herein evaluated suggest that TM34 could be an anticancer agent of highly relevant therapeutic value. Show less

Four new Ru(II) complexes [RuHCl(bpy)(PPh(3))(CO)] (1), [RuHCl(bpy)(AsPh(3))(CO)] (2) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), [RuCl(HL)(PPh(3))(2)(CO)] (3) and [RuCl(HL)(AsPh(3))(2)(CO)] (4) (HL = 2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid) were synthesized and characterized. X-ray diffraction was used to characterize 3 in solid state. The interactions of these complexes with DNA were explored by different techniques which revealed that the complexes could bind to CT-DNA through non-intercalation. The in vitro cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of the complexes validated against a panel of cancer cell lines and free radicals showed that 3 and 4 possess quite high anticancer and antioxidant activities over 1, 2 and standard drugs. An apparent dependence of biological activities on incorporation of COOH in bipyridine moiety was noticed: Inclusion of COOH caused significant differences in DNA binding, cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity. Show less