Synthesis and Characterization of New Transplatinum Complexes Containing Phosphane Groups − Cytotoxic Studies in Cisplatin-Resistant Cells

trans-Dichloro(triphenylarsino)(N,N-dialkylamino)platinum(II) Complexes: In Search of New Scaffolds to Circumvent Cisplatin Resistance

The high incidence of the resistance phenomenon represents one of the most important limitations to the clinical usefulness of cisplatin as an anticancer drug. Notwithstanding the considerable efforts to solve this problem, the circumvention of cisplatin resistance remains a challenge in the treatment of cancer. In this work, the synthesis and characterization of two trans-dichloro(triphenylarsino)(N,N-dialkylamino)platinum(II) complexes (1 and 2) were described. The trypan blue exclusion assay demonstrated an interesting antiproliferative effect for complex 1 in ovarian carcinoma-resistant cells, A2780cis. Quantitative analysis performed by ICP-AES demonstrated a scarce ability to platinate DNA, and a significant intracellular accumulation. The investigation of the mechanism of action highlighted the ability of 1 to inhibit the relaxation of supercoiled plasmid DNA mediated by topoisomerase II and to stabilize the cleavable complex. Cytofluorimetric analyses indicated the activation of the apoptotic pathway and the mitochondrial membrane depolarization. Therefore, topoisomerase II and mitochondria could represent possible intracellular targets. The biological properties of 1 and 2 were compared to those of the related trans-dichloro(triphenylphosphino)(N,N-dialkylamino)platinum(II) complexes in order to draw structure–activity relationships useful to face the resistance phenotype.

Trivalent Antimony as L-, X-, and Z-Type Ligand: The Full Set of Possible Coordination Modes in Pt-Sb Bonds

In the course of our investigations of the coordination chemistry of trivalent antimony (Sb) compounds, we studied heteronuclear complexes formed in reactions of the compounds RSb(pyS)₂ (R = pyS, Ph; pyS^- = pyridine-2-thiolate) with [Pt(PPh₃)₄], i.e., complexes [(R)Sb(μ-pyS)₂Pt(PPh₃)] (R = pyS, 1; R = Ph, 2). The reaction of 1 with o-chloranil proceeds cleanly with elimination of 2,2'-dipyridyl disulfide and formation of the salt [(PPh₃)Pt(μ-pyS)₂Sb(μ-pyS)₂Pt(PPh₃)]⁺[Sb(C₆Cl₄O₂)₂]^- (3^III), which features the cation 3⁺. The charge-neutral, unsymmetrically substituted compound [(PPh₃)Pt(μ-pyS)₂Sb(μ-pyS)₂Pt(κS-pyS)] (4) can be accessed by the reaction of 3⁺ with LipyS. The oxidation of 2 with o-chloranil furnishes the complex [(κ-O,O-C₆Cl₄O₂)PhSb(μ-pyS)₂Pt(PPh₃)] (5). The oxidation of 1 with PhICl₂ afforded the paddlewheel-shaped complex [Sb(μ-pyS)₄PtCl] (6). Moreover, compound 6 was obtained by the reaction of Sb(pyS)₃ with [PtCl(pyS)(PPh₃)]. The polarization of Pt-Sb bonds of compounds 1-6 was investigated by natural localized molecular orbital (NLMO) calculations, which suggest X-type ligand character (covalent Pt-Sb bonds) for 1 and 2, whereas the Sb ligand of 6 reflects Z-type character (dative Pt→Sb bonds). In 3⁺, 4, and 5, high contributions of the reverse, i.e., L-type (dative Pt←Sb bonds), were observed. In conjunction with the results of NLMO analyses, ¹²¹Sb Mössbauer spectroscopy proves that complexes 1-6 represent essentially trivalent Sb complexes with either a free lone pair (LP) at the Sb atom (1, 2, and 6) or LP character involved in L-type Pt←Sb coordination (3⁺, 4, and 5).

Pentafluorophenyl Platinum(II) Complexes of PTA and its N-Allyl and N-Benzyl Derivatives: Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Activity

From the well-known 1,3,5-triaza-phosphaadamantane (PTA, 1a), the novel N-allyl and N-benzyl tetrafuoroborate salts 1-allyl-1-azonia-3,5-diaza-7-phosphaadamantane (APTA(BF₄), 1b) and 1-benzyl-1-azonia-3,5-diaza-7-phosphaadamantane (BzPTA(BF₄), 1c) were obtained. These phosphines were then allowed to react with (Pt(μ-Cl)(C₆F₅)(tht))₂ (tht = tetrahydrothiophene) affording the water soluble Pt(II) complexes trans-(PtCl(C₆F₅)(PTA)₂) (2a) and its bis-cationic congeners trans-(PtCl(C₆F₅)(APTA)₂)(BF₄)₂ (2b) and trans-(PtCl(C₆F₅)(BzPTA)₂)(BF₄)₂ (2c). The compounds were fully characterized by multinuclear NMR, ESI-MS, elemental analysis and (for 2a) also by single crystal X-ray diffraction, which proved the trans configuration of the phosphine ligands. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the cytotoxic activities of all complexes the normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF) cell culture were used. The antineoplastic activity of the investigated compounds was checked against the human lung carcinoma (A549), epithelioid cervix carcinoma (HeLa) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cell cultures. Interactions between the complexes and human serum albumin (HSA) using fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) were also investigated.

In vitro effects of the activity of novel platinum (II) complex in canine and human cell lines

The anticancer activity of novel platinum derivative, a complex of platinum with tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (Pt-TCEP), has been evaluated in canine (D-17) and human osteosarcoma (U2-OS) cell lines. Viability of cells after incubation for 24 or 72 hours with increasing concentrations (0.625, 1.25, 2.50, 5, 10 and 20 μM) of Pt-TCEP was tested in an MTT assay and compared to effect of cisplatin. Longer-term effect of Pt-TCEP was evaluated in the colony-forming unit assay after 24 hours exposure to the Pt-TCEP (2 and 3 μM) and subsequent incubation for 2 weeks. The influence of the compound on the cell cycle was measured after 24 hours treatment with Pt-TCEP (3 μM). Its pro-apoptotic activity was examined after 24 hours treatment with Pt-TCEP (1.25, 2.50, 5, 10 and 20 μM) using flow cytometry. Expression of main proteins involved in apoptosis was measured after exposure for 24 hours to 3 or 5 μM Pt-TCEP in Western Blot. The compound much more effectively decreased cell viability than cisplatin in case of both cell lines. IC₅₀ of Pt-TCEP was 5.93 ± 0.12 in D-17 and 3.45 ± 0.14 in U2-OS cell lines after 24 hours, and 1.77 ± 0.14 in D-17 and 1.53 ± 0.11 in U2-OS after 72 hours (P < .05). The compound arrested cells in the G2/M phase and inhibited the ability of cells to form colonies. Pt-TCEP induced caspase-dependent apoptosis. The expression of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-X_L protein was decreased after Pt-TCEP treatment in both cell lines. The results confirmed anti-cancer activity of Pt-TCEP against canine and human osteosarcoma cell lines.

Four-component relativistic 31P NMR calculations for trans-platinum(ii) complexes: importance of the solvent and dynamics in spectral simulations

We report a combined experimental-theoretical study on the 31P NMR chemical shift for a number of trans-platinum(ii) complexes. Validity and reliability of the 31P NMR chemical shift calculations are examined by comparing with the experimental data. A successful computational protocol for the accurate prediction of the 31P NMR chemical shifts was established for trans-[PtCl2(dma)PPh3] (dma = dimethylamine) complexes. The reliability of the computed values is shown to be critically dependent on the level of relativistic effects (two-component vs. four component), choice of density functionals, dynamical averaging, and solvation effects. Snapshots obtained from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations were used to identify those solvent molecules which show the largest interactions with the platinum complex, through inspection by using the non-covalent interaction program. We observe satisfactory accuracy from the full four-component matrix Dirac-Kohn-Sham method (mDKS) based on the Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian, in conjunction with the KT2 density functional, and dynamical averaging with explicit solvent molecules.

Repurposing the anticancer drug cisplatin with the aim of developing novel Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection control agents

Antibiotic resistance threatens effective treatment of microbial infections globally. This situation has spurred the hunt for new antimicrobial compounds in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Here, we report how the widely used antitumor drug cisplatin may be repurposed as an effective antimicrobial against the nosocomial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cisplatin was found to effectively kill strains of P. aeruginosa. In such experiments, transcriptomic profiling showed upregulation of the recA gene, which is known to be important for DNA repair, implicating that cisplatin could interfere with DNA replication in P. aeruginosa. Cisplatin treatment significantly repressed the type III secretion system (T3SS), which is important for the secretion of exotoxins. Furthermore, cisplatin was also demonstrated to eradicate in vitro biofilms and in vivo biofilms in a murine keratitis model. This showed that cisplatin could be effectively used to eradicate biofilm infections which were otherwise difficult to be treated by conventional antibiotics. Although cisplatin is highly toxic for humans upon systemic exposure, a low toxicity was demonstrated with topical treatment. This indicated that higher-than-minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) doses of cisplatin could be topically applied to treat persistent and recalcitrant P. aeruginosa infections.

Copper(i) complexes with phosphine derived from sparfloxacin. Part I - structures, spectroscopic properties and cytotoxicity

In this paper we present new copper(i) iodide or copper(i) thiocyanate complexes with hydroxymethyldiphenylphosphine (PPh2(CH2OH)) or phosphine derivatives of sparfloxacin, a 3(rd) generation fluoroquinolone antibiotic agent (PPh2(CH2-Sf)) and 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (dmp) or 2,2'-biquinoline (bq) auxiliary ligands. The synthesised complexes were fully characterised by NMR and UV-Vis spectroscopy as well as by mass spectrometry. Selected structures were additionally analysed using X-ray and DFT methods. All complexes proved to be stable in solution in the presence of water and atmospheric oxygen for several days. The cytotoxic activity of the complexes was tested against two cancer cell lines (CT26 - mouse colon carcinoma and A549 - human lung adenocarcinoma). Applying two different incubation times, the studies enabled a preliminary estimation of the dependence of the selectivity and the mechanism of action on the type of diimine and phosphine ligands. The results obtained showed that complexes with PPh2(CH2-Sf) are significantly more active than those with PPh2(CH2OH). On the other hand, the relative impact of diimine on cytotoxicity is less pronounced. However, the dmp complexes are characterised by strong inhibitory properties, while the bq ones are rather not. This confirms the interesting and promising biological properties of the investigated group of copper(i) complexes, which undoubtedly are worthy of further biological studies.

Group 10–group 14 metal complexes [E–TM]IV: the role of the group 14 site as an L, X and Z-type ligand

The group 14 element's ligand role in N,S-bridged transition metal complexes was shown to depend on both atoms’ substitution patterns.

Synthesis, cytotoxicity, DNA interaction and cell cycle studies of trans-diiodophosphine Pt(ii) complexes

Diiodido phosphine Pt complexes were synthesized and their biological activity studied. The complex with isopropylamine was the best candidate.

Utilizing redox-mediated Bergman cyclization toward the development of dual-action metalloenediyne therapeutics

Reaction of 2 equiv of 1,2-bis((diphenylphosphino)ethynyl)benzene (dppeb, 1) with Pt(cod)Cl2 followed by treatment with N2H4 yields the reduced Pt(0) metalloenediyne, Pt(dppeb)2, 2. This complex is stable to both air oxidation and metal-mediated Bergman cyclization under ambient conditions due to the nearly idealized tetrahedral geometry. Reaction of 2 with 1 equiv of I2 in the presence of excess 1,4-cyclohexadiene (1,4-CHD) radical trap rapidly and near-quantitatively generates the cis-Bergman-cyclized, diiodo product 3 ((31)P: δ = 41 ppm, J(Pt-P) = 3346 Hz) with concomitant loss of 1 equiv of uncyclized phosphine chelate ((31)P: δ = -33 ppm). In contrast, addition of 2 equiv of I2 in the absence of additional radical trap instantaneously forms a metastable Pt(dppeb)2(2+) intermediate species, 4, that is characterized by δ = 51 ppm in the (31)P NMR (J(Pt-P) = 3171 Hz) and ν(C≡C) = 2169 cm(-1) in the Raman profile, indicating that it is an uncyclized, bis-ligated complex. Over 24 h, 4 undergoes ligand exchange to form a neutral, square planar complex that spontaneously Bergman cyclizes at ambient temperature to give the crystalline product Pt(dppnap-I2)I2 (dppnap-I2 = (1,4-diiodonaphthalene-2,3-diyl)bis(diphenylphosphine)), 5, in 52% isolated yield. Computational analysis of the oxidation reaction proposes two plausible flattened tetrahedral structures for intermediate 4: one where the phosphine core has migrated to a trans-spanning chelate geometry, and a second, higher energy structure (3.3 kcal/mol) with two cis-chelating phosphine ligands (41° dihedral angle) via a restricted alkyne-terminal starting point. While the energies are disparate, the common theme in both structures is the elongated Pt-P bond lengths (>2.4 Å), indicating that nucleophilic ligand substitution by I(-) is on the reaction trajectory to the cyclized product 5. The efficiency of the redox-mediated Bergman cyclization reaction of this stable Pt(0) metalloenediyne prodrug and resulting cisplatin-like byproduct represents an intriguing new strategy for potential dual-threat metalloenediyne therapeutics.

Novel cis- and trans-configured bis(oxime)platinum(II) complexes: synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxic activity

Novel cis- and trans-configured bis(oxime)platinum(II) complexes have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, multinuclear ((1)H, (13)C, and (195)Pt) NMR spectroscopy, and, in five cases, by X-ray diffraction. Their cytotoxicity was studied in the cisplatin-sensitive CH1 cell line as well as in inherently cisplatin-resistant SW480 cancer cells. Remarkably, every single dihalidobis(oxime)platinum(II) complex (with either a cis or trans configuration) shows a comparable cytotoxic potency in both cell lines, indicating a capacity of overcoming cisplatin resistance. Particularly strong cytotoxicities were observed in the case of trans-[PtCl(2)(R(2)C=NOH)(2)] (R = Me, n-Pr, i-Pr) with IC(50) values in the high nanomolar concentration range in both CH1 and SW480 cancer cells. These complexes are as potent as cisplatin in CH1 cells and up to 20 times more potent than cisplatin in SW480 cells. In comparison to transplatin, the novel compounds are up to 90 (CH1) and 120 times (SW480) more cytotoxic. The previously reported observation that the trans geometry yields a more active complex in the case of [PtCl(2)(Me(2)C=NOH)(2)] could be confirmed for at least two structural analogues.

The role of p53 in the cellular toxicity by active trans-platinum complexes containing isopropylamine and hydroxymethylpyridine

Despite some initial research that reported a lack of activity of trans geometry, complexes with general formula trans-[PtCl2(L)(L')] exhibit an important cytotoxic activity in cisplatin-sensitive and resistant cell lines. Based on the proposed mechanism of action for the trans-platinum compounds, they might form DNA adducts initiating a DNA-damage response and ultimately ending in the activation of the p53 protein. In the present work, we have studied the biochemical properties of the trans-[PtCl2(isopropylamine)(L)] complexes (where L is 3- or 4-(hydroxymethyl)-pyridine) against several cell lines and the relationship between cytotoxicity and the protein p53. Both complexes showed different antitumoral properties depending on the presence or absence of protein p53 in isogenic colon carcinoma HCT116 cell lines. Cell cycle studies with the complexes in these cell lines were performed to investigate their antitumoral activity. Apoptosis was observed to be launched from G1 or G2/M accumulations. Confocal microscopy showed the different behaviour of isogenic tumoral cell lines treated with the trans-platinum complexes. Our data suggest that small differences in the carrier ligands could play an important role in the overall biological effects. The body of the research regarding structure-activity relationships such as the different position of groups in the carrier ligands will provide new rational basis for the design of new platinum antitumor drugs.