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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

A new ruthenium methylimidazole complex [Ru(MeIm)4(p-cpip)](2+) (Ru1, p-cpip=2-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline, MeIm=1-methylimidazole) has been synthesized and characterized. The cellular uptake, in vitro cytotoxicities, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis-inducing mechanism of this Ru(II) complex have been extensively explored by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, flow cytometry, Comet assay, inverted fluorescence microscope as well as Western blotting experimental techniques. Notably, Ru1 displayed relatively high cytotoxic activity against lung cancer A549 cells and had high selectivity between tumor and normal cells in comparison with cisplatin. Further studies showed that Ru1 caused cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and induced apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway, which involved reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, mitochondrial dysfunction and Bcl-2 and caspase correlative family member activation. For providing more information about the possible antitumor mechanism, the in vitro DNA binding studies have been also investigated by different spectrophotometric methods, thermal denaturation and viscosity measurements. Show less

Two heterobimetallic complexes, i.e. [RuCl2(p-cymene)(μ-dppm)AuC] (1) and [RuCl2(p-cymene)(μ-dppm)Au(S-thiazoline)] (3), based on known cytotoxic [Ru(p-cymene)Cl2(PR3)] and [AuX(PR3)] (X = Cl, SR) molecular scaffolds, with the diphosphane linker 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphino)methane, dppm, were conveniently prepared and characterised. Remarkably, the new compounds manifested a more favourable in vitro pharmacological profile toward cancer cells than individual ruthenium and gold species being either more cytotoxic or more selective. The interactions of the studied compounds with (pBR322) DNA and their inhibitory effects on cathepsin B were also assessed. In addition, their reactivity toward suitable models of protein targets was explored and clear evidence gained for disruption of the bimetallic motif and for protein binding of monometallic fragments. Overall, the data reported here strongly support the concept of multifunctional heterometallic compounds as "improved" candidate agents for cancer treatment. The mechanistic and pharmacological implications of the present findings are discussed. Show less

A new ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex [Ru(dmp)2(pddppn)](ClO4)2Ru1 was synthesized and characterized. The cytotoxic activity in vitro of the complex was evaluated by MTT method. Ru1 shows high effect on the inhibition of the cell growth against BEL-7402, HeLa, MG-63 and A549 cells with low IC50 values of 1.6±0.4, 9.0±0.8, 1.5±0.2 and 1.5±0.3 μM, respectively. The cellular uptake indicates that Ru1 can enter into the cytoplasm and accumulate in the cell nuclei. Ru1 can induce apoptosis in A549 cells and enhance the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induce the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, Ru1 can down-regulate the levels of Bcl-2, Bcl-x, Bak, and Bim expression and up-regulate the expression of Bag-1 and Bad. The complex induces apoptosis of A549 cells through an intrinsic ROS-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction pathway, which was accompanied by regulating the expression of caspases and Bcl-2 family proteins. Show less

Clinical acceptance of photodynamic therapy is currently hindered by poor depth efficacy and inefficient activation of the cell death machinery in cancer cells during treatment. To address these issues, photoactivation using two-photon absorption (TPA) is currently being examined. Mitochondria-targeted therapy represents a promising approach to target tumors selectively and may overcome the resistance in current anticancer therapies. Herein, four ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes (RuL1-RuL4) have been designed and developed to act as mitochondria-targeted two-photon photodynamic anticancer agents. These complexes exhibit very high singlet oxygen quantum yields in methanol (0.74-0.81), significant TPA cross sections (124-198 GM), remarkable mitochondrial accumulation, and deep penetration depth. Thus, RuL1-RuL4 were utilized as one-photon and two-photon absorbing photosensitizers in both monolayer cells and 3D multicellular spheroids (MCSs). These Ru(II) complexes were almost nontoxic towards cells and 3D MCSs in the dark and generate sufficient singlet oxygen under one- and two-photon irradiation to trigger cell death. Remarkably, RuL4 exhibited an IC50 value as low as 9.6 μM in one-photon PDT (λirr = 450 nm, 12 J cm(-2)) and 1.9 μM in two-photon PDT (λirr = 830 nm, 800 J cm(-2)) of 3D MCSs; moreover, RuL4 is an order of magnitude more toxic than cisplatin in the latter test system. The combination of mitochondria-targeting and two-photon activation provides a valuable paradigm to develop ruthenium(II) complexes for PDT applications. Show less

Three water-soluble ruthenium(II) complexes with chiral 4-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-formamide oxoaporphine (FOA) were synthesized and characterized. It was found that these ruthenium(II) complexes exhibited considerable in vitro anticancer activities and that they were the effective stabilizers of telomeric and G-quadruplex-DNA (G4-DNA) in promoter of c-myc, which acted as a telomerase inhibitor targeting G4-DNA and induced cell senescence and apoptosis. Interestingly, the in vitro anticancer activity of 6 (LC-003) was higher than those of 4 (LC-001) and 5 (LC-002), more selective for BEL-7404 cells than for normal HL-7702 cells, and preferred to activate caspases-3/9. The different biological behaviors of the ruthenium complexes could be correlated with the chiral nature of 4-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-formamide oxoaporphine. More significantly, 6 exhibited effective inhibitory on tumor growth in BEL-7402 xenograft mouse model and higher in vivo safety than cisplatin. These mechanistic insights indicate that 6 displays low toxicity and can be a novel anticancer drug candidate. Show less

Following the identification of [Ru(η(6)-p-cymene)Cl2(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl-3-(pyridin-3-yl)propanoate)], a ruthenium(II)-arene complex with a perfluoroalkyl-modified ligand that displays remarkable in vitro cancer cell selectivity, a series of structurally related compounds were designed. In the new derivatives, the p-cymene ring and/or the chloride ligands are substituted by other ligands to modulate the steric bulk or aquation kinetics. The new compounds were evaluated in both in vitro (cytotoxicity and migration assays) and in vivo (chicken chorioallantoic membrane) models and were found to exhibit potent antivascular effects. Show less

We report the synthesis, characterization, and antiproliferative activity of 15 iridium(III) half-sandwich complexes of the type [(η⁵-Cp*)Ir(2-(R'-phenyl)-R-pyridine)Cl] bearing either an electron-donating (-OH, -CH₂OH, -CH₃) or electron-withdrawing (-F, -CHO, -NO₂) group at various positions on the 2-phenylpyridine (2-PhPy) chelating ligand giving rise to six sets of structural isomers. The X-ray crystal structures of [(η⁵-Cp*)Ir(2-(2'-fluorophenyl)pyridine)Cl] (1) and [(η⁵-Cp*)Ir(2-(4'-fluorophenyl)pyridine)Cl] (2) exhibit the expected "piano-stool" configuration. DFT calculations showed that substituents caused only localized effects on the electrostatic potential surface of the chelating 2-PhPy ligand of the complexes. Hydrolysis of all complexes is rapid, but readily reversed by addition of NaCl. The complexes show preferential binding to 9-ethylguanine over 9-methyladenine and are active catalysts for the oxidation of NADH to NAD⁺. Antiproliferative activity experiments in A2780 ovarian, MCF-7 breast, A549 lung, and HCT116 colon cancer cell lines showed IC₅₀ values ranging from 1 to 89 μM, with the most potent complex, [(η⁵-Cp*)Ir(2-(2'-methylphenyl)pyridine)Cl] (13) (A2780 IC₅₀ = 1.18 μM), being 10× more active than the parent, [(η⁵-Cp*)Ir(2-phenylpyridine)Cl], and 2× more active than [(η⁵-Cp^xPh)Ir(2-phenylpyridine)Cl]. Intriguingly, contrasting biological activities are observed between structural isomers despite exhibiting similar chemical reactivity. For pairs of structural isomers both the nature and position of the functional group can affect the hydrophobicity of the complex. An increase in hydrophobicity resulted in enhanced cellular-iridium accumulation in A2780 ovarian cells, which generally gave rise to an increase in potency. The structural isomers [(η⁵-Cp*)Ir(2-(4'-fluorophenyl)pyridine)Cl] (2) and [(η⁵-Cp*)Ir(2-phenyl-5-fluoropyridine)Cl] (4) preferentially localized in the cytosol > membrane and particulate > nucleus > cytoskeleton. This work highlights the strong dependence of biological behavior on the nature and position of the substituent on the chelating ligand and shows how this class of organometallic anticancer complexes can be fine-tuned to increase their potency without using extended cyclopentadienyl systems. Show less

A series of organoruthenium(II) chlorido complexes with fluorinated O,O-ligands [(η(6)-p-cymene)Ru(F3C-acac-Ar)Cl] (1a-6a) and their respective 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (pta) derivatives [(η(6)-p-cymene)Ru(F3C-acac-Ar)pta]PF6 (1b-6b) were synthesized and fully characterized in both solution and solid state. All complexes were inactive against nonmalignant keratinocytes but displayed variable activity against cancer cell models (ovarian, osteosarcoma). Compounds with a ligand containing the 4-chlorophenyl substituent (6a and 6b) exhibited the strongest anticancer effects. Despite a marginally lower cellular Ru accumulation compared to the chlorido complexes, pta analogues showed higher activity especially in the osteosarcoma model. Reduction of glutathione levels by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) significantly enhanced the activity of all compounds with the most pronounced effects being observed for the pta series resulting in IC50 values down to the nanomolar range. While all chlorido complexes potently induce reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, and apoptosis, the respective pta compounds widely lacked ROS production but blocked cell cycle progression in G0/G1 phase. 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

Hypoxia is the critical feature of the tumor microenvironment that is known to lead to resistance to many chemotherapeutic drugs. Six novel ruthenium(II) anthraquinone complexes were designed and synthesized; they exhibit similar or superior cytotoxicity compared to cisplatin in hypoxic HeLa, A549, and multidrug-resistant (A549R) tumor cell lines. Their anticancer activities are related to their lipophilicity and cellular uptake; therefore, these physicochemical properties of the complexes can be changed by modifying the ligands to obtain better anticancer candidates. Complex 1, the most potent member of the series, is highly active against hypoxic HeLa cancer cells (IC50 =0.53 μM). This complex likely has 46-fold better activity than cisplatin (IC50 =24.62 μM) in HeLa cells. This complex tends to accumulate in the mitochondria and the nucleus of hypoxic HeLa cells. Further mechanistic studies show that complex 1 induced cell apoptosis during hypoxia through multiple pathways, including those of DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and the inhibition of DNA replication and HIF-1α expression, making it an outstanding candidate for further in vivo studies. 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

New ruthenium(II) and iron(II) organometallic compounds of general formula [(η(5)-C5H5)M(PP)Lc][PF6], bearing carbohydrate derivative ligands (Lc), were prepared and fully characterized and the crystal structures of five of those compounds were determined by X-ray diffraction studies. Cell viability of colon cancer HCT116 cell line was determined for a total of 23 organometallic compounds and SAR's data analysis within this library showed an interesting dependency of the cytotoxic activity on the carbohydrate moiety, linker, phosphane coligands, and metal center. More importantly, two compounds, 14Ru and 18Ru, matched oxaliplatin IC50 (0.45 μM), the standard metallodrug used in CC chemotherapeutics, and our leading compound 14Ru was shown to be significantly more cytotoxic than oxaliplatin to HCT116 cells, triggering higher levels of caspase-3 and -7 activity and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Show less

Ruthenium(II)-arene complexes with biotin-containing ligands were prepared so that a novel drug delivery system based on tumor-specific vitamin-receptor mediated endocytosis could be developed. The complexes were characterized by spectroscopic methods and their in vitro anticancer activity in cancer cell lines with various levels of major biotin receptor (COLO205, HCT116 and SW620 cells) was tested in comparison with the ligands. In all cases, coordination of ruthenium resulted in significantly enhanced cytotoxicity. The affinity of Ru(II) -biotin complexes to avidin was investigated and was lower than that of unmodified biotin. Hill coefficients in the range 2.012-2.851 suggest strong positive cooperation between the complexes and avidin. To estimate the likelihood of binding to the biotin receptor/transporter, docking studies with avidin and streptavidin were conducted. These explain, to some extent, the in vitro anticancer activity results and support the conclusion that these novel half-sandwich ruthenium(II)-biotin conjugates may act as biological vectors to cancer cells, although no clear relationship between the cellular Ru content, the cytotoxicity, and the presence of the biotin moiety was observed. Show less

Aiming for novel tools for anticancer therapies, a ruthenium complex, covalently linked to a cholesterol-containing nucleolipid and stabilized by co-aggregation with a biocompatible lipid, is here presented. The amphiphilic ruthenium complex, named ToThyCholRu, is intrinsically negatively charged and has been inserted into liposomes formed by the cationic 1,2-dioleyl-3-trimethylammoniumpropane chloride (DOTAP) to hinder the degradation kinetics typically observed for known ruthenium-based antineoplastic agents. The here described nanovectors contain up to 30% in moles of the ruthenium complex and are stable for several weeks. This drug delivery system has been characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), neutron reflectivity (NR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques. Fluorescence microscopy, following the incorporation of rhodamine-B within the ruthenium-loaded liposomes, showed fast cellular uptake in human carcinoma cells, with a strong fluorescence accumulation within the cells. The in vitro bioactivity profile revealed an important antiproliferative activity and, most remarkably, the highest ability in ruthenium vectorization measured so far. Cellular morphological changes and DNA fragmentation provided evidence of an apoptosis-inducing activity, in line with several in vitro studies supporting apoptotic events as the main cause for the anticancer properties of ruthenium derivatives. Overall, these data highlighted the crucial role played by the cellular uptake properties in determining the anticancer efficacy of ruthenium-based drugs, showing DOTAP as a very efficient nanocarrier for their stabilization in aqueous media and transport in cells. In vitro bioscreens have shown the high antiproliferative activity of ToThyCholRu-DOTAP liposomes against specific human adenocarcinoma cell types. Furthermore, these formulations have proved to be over 20-fold more effective against MCF-7 and WiDr adenocarcinoma cells with respect to the nude ruthenium complex AziRu we have previously described. Show less

This study investigated the photodynamic therapy (PDT) and anticancer activity of mixed ligand Ru(ii) terpyridyl complexes (Ru1-Ru3). The photophysical and photochemical properties, hydrophobic properties, DNA binding and DNA transcription inhibition abilities, cell uptake efficiency, cellular localization and photo-cytotoxicity were investigated. Ru1-Ru3 exhibited red luminescence between 670-710 nm and functioned as photo-sensitizers (PSs) by generating both singlet oxygen and radical ions. Without light activation, Ru1-Ru3 were located at the cytoplasm and were nontoxic to cells. However, upon light activation, Ru1-Ru3 exhibited significant photocytotoxicity. After PDT treatment, mitochondria alteration and nuclear membrane disruption occurred, which resulted in relocalization of the complexes from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Moreover, high cellular oxidative stress caused cell necrocytosis after PDT treatment. Show less

Cytostatic agents that interfere with specific cellular components to prevent cancer cell growth offer an attractive alternative, or complement, to traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Here, we describe the synthesis and characterization of a new binuclear Ru(II) -Pt(II) complex [Ru(tpy)(tpypma)Pt(Cl)(DMSO)](3+) (tpy=2,2':6',2''-terpyridine and tpypma=4-([2,2':6',2''-terpyridine]-4'-yl)-N-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)aniline), VR54, which employs the extended terpyridine tpypma ligand to link the two metal centres. In cell-free conditions, VR54 binds DNA by non-intercalative reversible mechanisms (Kb =1.3×10(5)  M(-1) ) and does not irreversibly bind guanosine. Cellular studies reveal that VR54 suppresses proliferation of A2780 ovarian cancer cells with no cross-resistance in the A2780CIS cisplatin-resistant cell line. Through the preparation of mononuclear Ru(II) and Pt(II) structural derivatives it was determined that both metal centres are required for this anti-proliferative activity. In stark contrast to cisplatin, VR54 neither activates the DNA-damage response network nor induces significant levels of cell death. Instead, VR54 is cytostatic and inhibits cell proliferation by up-regulating the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(KIP1) and inhibiting retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation, which blocks entry into S phase and results in G1 cell cycle arrest. Thus, VR54 inhibits cancer cell growth by a gain of function at the G1 restriction point. This is the first metal-coordination compound to demonstrate such activity. Show less

Ruthenium complexes have been considered as promising substitutes for cisplatin in cancer chemotherapy. However, novel ruthenium-based therapies are faced with some limitations, such as unimpressive cytotoxicity toward solid tumors. Herein, we designed and synthesized phenyl-substituted terpyridyl ruthenium(ii) complexes ([Ru(tpy)(bpy)Cl](+) (Ru1), [Ru(phtpy)(bpy)Cl](+) (Ru2) and [Ru(biphtpy)(bpy)Cl](+) (Ru3)) which exhibited distinctly different anticancer activity. Ru1-Ru3 all underwent moderate aquation in buffer solution and this process was significantly inhibited by high chloride concentration. Cancer cells were found to readily uptake the relatively hydrophobic Ru3, as quantified using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Ru1 was found to be non-cytotoxic (IC50 > 100 μM) while Ru3 exhibited very promising cytotoxicity on both two-dimensional (2D) cancer cell monolayers and 3D MCTSs. An antiproliferative assay revealed that Ru3 significantly inhibited cellular DNA replication which ultimately induced apoptosis of cancer cells. Show less

We have recently demonstrated that complexation with (η(6)-arene)Ru(II) fragments confers 4-anilinoquinazoline pharmacophores a higher potential for inducing cellular apoptosis while preserving the highly inhibitory activity of 4-anilinoquinazolines against EGFR and the reactivity of the ruthenium centre to 9-ethylguanine (Chem. Commun., 2013, 49, 10224-10226). Reported herein are the synthesis, characterisation and evaluation of the biological activity of a new series of ruthenium(ii) complexes of the type [(η(6)-arene)Ru(N,N-L)Cl]PF6 (arene = p-cymene, benzene, 2-phenylethanol or indane, L = 4-anilinoquinazolines). These organometallic ruthenium complexes undergo fast hydrolysis in aqueous solution. Intriguingly, the ligation of (arene)Ru(II) fragments with 4-anilinoquinazolines not only makes the target complexes excellent EGFR inhibitors, but also confers the complexes high affinity to bind to DNA minor grooves while maintaining their reactivity towards DNA bases, characterising them with dual-targeting properties. Molecular modelling studies reveal that the hydrolysis of these complexes is a favourable process which increases the affinity of the target complexes to bind to EGFR and DNA. In vitro biological activity assays show that most of this group of ruthenium complexes are selectively active inhibiting the EGF-stimulated growth of the HeLa cervical cancer cell line, and the most active complex [(η(6)-arene)Ru(N,N-L13)Cl]PF6 (, IC50 = 1.36 μM, = 4-(3'-chloro-4'-fluoroanilino)-6-(2-(2-aminoethyl)aminoethoxy)-7-methoxyquinazoline) is 29-fold more active than its analogue, [(η(6)-arene)Ru(N,N-ethylenediamine)Cl]PF6, and 21-fold more active than gefitinib, a well-known EGFR inhibitor in use clinically. These results highlight the strong promise to develop highly active ruthenium anticancer complexes by ligation of cytotoxic ruthenium pharmacophores with bioactive organic molecules. Show less

Two bifunctional ruthenium(II)-p-cymene complexes with perfluorinated side chains, attached via pyridine ligands, have been evaluated in a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. Their effects on human endothelial (ECRF24 and HUVEC) cells, noncancerous human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells, and various human tumor cells were investigated. The complex with the shorter chain, 1, inhibits the proliferation of the tumor cell lines and ECRF24, whereas 2 selectively inhibits ECRF24 and HUVEC proliferation. Neither inhibits the migration of ECRF24 cells whereas both compounds inhibit sprout formation in HUVEC cells. Using three preclinical models, i.e., vasculature formation in the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of the chicken embryo, human A2780 ovarian carcinoma tumors xenografted on the CAM, and human LS174T colorectal adenocarcinoma tumors grown in athymic mice, the angiostatic and anticancer activities of these two complexes were studied. Overall, 1 inhibited tumor growth predominantly through an anticancer effect whereas 2 inhibited tumor growth predominately via an antiangiogenic mechanism. Show less

Aquation has been proposed as crucial chemical action step for ruthenium (Ru) complexes, but its effects on the action mechanisms remain elusive. Herein, we have demonstrated the aquation process of a potent Ru polypyridyl complex (RuBmp=[Ru(II) (bmbp)(phen)Cl]ClO4 , bmbp=2,6-bis(6-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl) pyridine, phen=phenanthroline) with a chloride ligand, and revealed that aquation of RuBmp effectively enhanced its hydrophilicity and cellular uptake, thus significantly increasing its anticancer efficacy. The aquation products (H-RuBmp=[Ru(II) (bmbp)(phen)Cl]ClO4 , [Ru(II) (bmbp)(phen)(H2 O)]ClO4 , bmbp) exhibited a much higher apoptosis-inducing ability than the intact complex, with involvement of caspase activation, mitochondria dysfunction, and interaction with cell membrane death receptors. H-RuBmp demonstrated a higher interaction potency with the cell membrane and induced higher levels of ROS overproduction in cancer cells to regulate the AKT, MAPK, and p53 signaling pathways. Taken together, this study could provide useful information for fine-tuning the rational design of next-generation metal medicines. Show less