The performance of different density functional methods in the calculation of molecular structures and vibrational spectra of platinum(II) antitumor drugs: cisplatin and carboplatin

Binding energies and hydrogen bonds effects on DNA-cisplatin interactions: a DFT-xTB study

CONTEXT

A systematic study of hydrogen bonds in base pairs and the interaction of cisplatin with DNA fragments was carried out. Structure, binding energies, and electron density were analyzed. xTB has proven to be an accurate method for obtaining structures and binding energies in DNA structures. Our xTB values for DNA base binding energy were in the same order and in some cases better than CAM-B3LYP values compared to experimental values. Double-stranded DNA-cisplatin structures have been calculated and the hydrogen bonds of water molecules are a decisive factor contributing to the preference for the cisplatin-Guanine interaction. Higher values of the water hydrogen bonding energies were obtained in cisplatin-Guanine structures. Furthermore, the electrostatic potential was used to investigate and improve the analysis of DNA-cisplatin structures.

METHODS

We applied the xTB method and the CAM-B3LYP functional combined with def2-SVP basis set to perform and analyze of the bonding energies of the cisplatin interaction and the effects of the hydrogen bonds. Results were calculated employing the xTB and the ORCA software.

Binding Motifs of Carboplatin and Oxaliplatin with Guanine: A Combined MS/MS, IRMPD, and Theoretical Study

Complexes generated in the gas phase involving the purine nucleobase guanine bound to second and third generation platinum drugs, namely, carboplatin (CarboPt) and oxaliplatin (OxaliPt), were investigated by combining tandem mass spectrometry, collision-induced dissociation (CID), infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy (IRMPD), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. As the first step, a spectroscopic characterization of the protonated platinum drugs was accomplished. Protonation of both CarboPt and OxaliPt in the gas phase occurs on one of the two carbonyl groups of the cyclobutanedicarboxylate and oxalate ligand, respectively. Such protonation has been postulated by several theoretical studies as a key preliminary step in the hydrolysis of Pt drugs under acidic conditions. Subsequently, the protonated drugs react with guanine in solution to generate a complex of general formula [Pt drug + H + guanine]+, which was then mass-selected. CID experiments provided evidence of the presence of strong binding between guanine and platinum-based drugs within the complexes. The structures of the two complexes have also been examined by comparing the experimental IRMPD spectra recorded in two spectral regions with DFT-computed IR spectra. For each system, the IRMPD spectra agree with the vibrational spectra calculated for the global minimum structures, which present a monodentate complexation of Pt at the N7 position of canonical guanine. This binding scheme is therefore akin to that observed for cisplatin, while other coordination sites yield substantially less stable species. Interestingly, in the case of oxaliplatin, the IRMPD spectra are consistent with the presence of two isomeric forms very close in energy.

Mononuclear half-sandwich nd7 metallo drug complexes based on bidentate N∩N dendritic scaffolds: DFT (B3LYP; BP86 and B3PW91) examination

Through an use of three functionals (B3PW91, B3LYP and BP86) associated to a generic basis set LanL2DZ for transition metals (as well as halogen atoms) and 6-311+G (d,p) for others atoms, an examination of the bonding properties of a series of mononuclear half-sandwich nd⁷ transition metal (anticancer) complexes based on N∩N dendritic scaffolds (L) has been done. Collectively, complexes studied have adopted the piano-stool environment. An examination of the performance of each functional has shown that for the most reliable geometrical analysis of Metal-Nitrogen and Metal-Halogen bonds, the B3LYP and B3PW91 functionalities are suitable respectively. Regardless of the halogen ligand adopted, the B3LYP metal-nitrogen bond lengths are the most widely overestimated. A correlation has been built between the retained charge on each divalent transition metal cation and its metal ion affinity (MIA). Topological examinations reveal the higher instability of metal-N bonds compared to metal-X ones (X = Cl and Br). By the mean of the energy decomposition analysis, a predominant electrostatic character of metal … halogen and [LCP]^- … [MX]⁺ interaction has been demonstrated. The transition metal atom … (hydrophobic) surface (Cp*) interaction is most pronounced for the chloride rhodium complexes of rhodium (combined with (E)-N-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene) Propan-1-amine and 2,2'- dipyridylketone ligands and iridium combined with 2,2'- dipyridylketone ligand. The charge decomposition analysis displays the weakening of the [Formula: see text] bonds in the studied complexes.

Structural Determination of Lysine-Linked Cisplatin Complexes via IRMPD Action Spectroscopy: NNs and NO- Binding Modes of Lysine to Platinum Coexist

Despite its success as an anticancer drug, cisplatin suffers from resistance and produces side effects. To overcome these limitations, amino-acid-linked cisplatin analogues have been investigated. Lysine-linked cisplatin, Lysplatin, (Lys)PtCl₂, exhibited outstanding reactivity toward DNA and RNA that differs from that of cisplatin. To gain insight into its differing reactivity, the structure of Lysplatin is examined here using infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy. To probe the influence of the local chemical environment on structure, the deprotonated and sodium-cationized Lysplatin complexes are examined. Electronic structure calculations are performed to explore possible modes of binding of Lys to Pt, their relative stabilities, and to predict their infrared spectra. Comparisons of the measured IRMPD and predicted IR spectra elucidate the structures contributing to the experimental spectra. Coexistence of two modes of binding of Lys to Pt is found where Lys binds via the backbone and side-chain amino nitrogen atoms, NN_s, or to the backbone amino and carboxylate oxygen atoms, NO^-. Glycine-linked cisplatin and arginine-linked cisplatin complexes have previously been found to bind only via the NO^- binding mode. Present results suggest that the NN_s binding conformers may be key to the outstanding reactivity of Lysplatin toward DNA and RNA.

Vibrational frequencies and intramolecular force constants for cisplatin: assessing the role of the platinum basis set and relativistic effects

The role of platinum basis set (PTBS) and relativistic effects for predicting the vibrational frequencies and intramolecular force constants for cisplatin are discussed. Nonrelativistic and relativistic computational protocols were built at B3LYP/PTBS/jorge-DZP/C-PCM and B3LYP-DKH2/PTBS/jorge-DZP-DKH/C-PCM levels, respectively, where 19 distinct PTBS were tested. As expected, the structural parameters were not very sensitive to the PTBS, however, the inclusion of relativistic effects improves the description of the cisplatin structure. When it comes to the vibrational frequencies, the results show that the PTBS, and mainly the relativistic effects, are both important. Moreover, the PBE0 functional led to better results than B3LYP in the protocols PBE0/LANL2TZ(f)/jorge-DZP/C-PCM (P20) and PBE0-DKH2/Sapporo-DKH3-DZP-2012/jorge-DZP-DKH/C-PCM (P22), which provided a mean absolute deviation (MAD) of only 10.8 cm^-1 and 9.5 cm^-1, respectively, for vibrational frequencies, which are excellent choices to study Pt complexes. Finally, a discussion of the intramolecular force constants for cisplatin is carried out, with the calculated bond and angles force constants with P20 and P22 protocols being recommended for the parameterization of the force field of cisplatin.

DFT/B3LYP and BP86 examination of mononuclear half-sandwich nd7 metallo drug complexes based on N∩O dendritic scaffolds

In this paper, we have explored the bonding properties of a series of mononuclear half-sandwich nd⁷ anticancer complexes based on N∩O dendritic scaffolds (L) using two functionals (B3LYP and BP86) with generic basis set (LanL2DZ for transition metals (as well as halogen atoms) and 6-311 + G (d,p) for others atoms. The geometry optimization of structures have led to the adoption of the piano-stool environment and the formation of kings of intermolecular hydrogen bonding: CH … X (Cl,Br) (2.619-2.954) and CH...O (2.266-2.973 Å) interaction. The metal (M)-bromine bond distances have shown to be significantly higher than metal-chlorine ones. In chloride complexes, salicylaldimine ligand-Co²⁺ (-3097.15 kJ/mol) and salicylaldimine ligand-Ir²⁺ (-3436.78 kJ/mol) interactions are stronger. Except for cobalt complexes, the interaction energies are underestimated by B3LYP functional, by contrast B3LYP HOMO-LUMO gaps obtained are highly greater. The metal ion affinity (MIA) is increasing in the order: Ir⁺²<Rh⁺²<Co⁺² for both halogen ligands adopted, exception for picolinate and salicylaldimine ligands. Our results also show that the metal … oxygen, metal … nitrogen and metal … halogen interactions are closed-shell interaction. From the contribution of the ΔE_orb term in the ranges 4.06-98.61% (X = Cl) and 10.29-99.87% (X = Br), the nature of the [Formula: see text] … X^- interaction turned out to be mainly dependent on the transition metal and halogen atom involved. The smallest back-donation observed for chloride complexes corresponding to the highest barrier to the formation of [MLCP^∗]-X bond traduces that the fact that chloride complexes are the least reactive. In the majority of cases, larger donation is obtained compared to back-donation showing that the possibility of [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] charge separation can be expected. For α rings of chloride complexes, B3LYP HOMA indexes are higher than those estimated by PB86 functional. Conversely, opposite results were found for their bromide counterparts.

Synthesis, structural characterization, docking simulation and in vitro antiproliferative activity of the new gold(III) complex with 2-pyridineethanol

Gold(III) complex containing 2-pyridineethanol has been synthesized and characterized structurally by single crystal X-ray diffraction, vibrational spectroscopy, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, electrochemical study, and DFT calculations. The Au(III) ion is four coordinated with one N-donor ligand (L) and three Cl anions. The Okuniewski's (τ'₄₌0.018) has been used to estimate the angular distortion from ideal square planar geometry. The vibrational spectroscopy studies, in the solid state and DMSO solution and cyclic voltammetry, have been performed to determine its stability and redox activity, respectively. A complete assignment of the IR and Raman spectra has been made based on the calculated potential energy distribution (PED). The theoretical calculations have been made for two functionals and several basis sets. The compound has been evaluated for its antiproliferative properties in a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549), mouse colon carcinoma (CT26), human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), human prostate carcinoma derived from the metastatic site in the brain (DU-145), and PANC-1 human pancreas/duct carcinoma cell line and non-tumorigenic cell lines: HaCat (human keratinocyte), and HEK293T (human embryonic kidney). Au(III) complex cytotoxicity is significantly against A549 and MCF-7 cells as in the reference drug: cisplatin. Studies of the interactions of Au(III) complex with DNA, HSA (human serum albumin) have been performed. The results from modeling docking simulations indicate that the title complex exerts anticancer effects in vitro based on different mechanisms of action to compare with cisplatin.

B3LYP, M06 and B3PW91 DFT assignment of nd8 metal-bis-(N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes

This paper is focused on the examination of the bonding properties of a series of [M(NHC)₂X₂] (M = nd⁸ transition metal; X = Cl, Br and I) complexes in normal, abnormal and mixed C^∩C coordination modes. Structures have been optimised in gas phase using B3LYP, M06 and P3BW91 functionals. Two basis sets have been used: the LanL2DZ and a mixed basis set (LanL2DZ for nd⁸ transition metals as well as halogen atoms and 6-311+G(d,p) for other atoms). Results obtained indicate that the B3PW91 bond distances are closer to experimental data. The complexation energies obtained for each binding mode increase in the order: Ni²⁺ < Pd²⁺ < Pt²⁺, independently of the halogen atom adopted. From the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecule (QTAIM) approach, the instability has been found to follow this trend: M - X < M - C. The analysis of metal-ligand interactions using the natural bond orbital (NBO) revealed that the strongest metal-ligand interactions are observed in the normal binding mode. The NCH → MX₂ donation terms were found to be interestingly predominant compared with back donation ones in the complexes studied, except in Pt chloride ones. The contribution of electrostatic interaction energy between the above fragments (∆E_elstat term) is in the range 57.48-63.95% traducing the fact that the interactions are mostly electrostatic. Graphical abstract.

Does the Affinity of Cisplatin to B-Vitamins Impair the Therapeutic Effect in the Case of Patients with Lung Cancer-consuming Carrot or Beet Juice?

BACKGROUND

Cisplatin (CisPt) has a well-recognized anticancer activity by interacting with DNA and inducing programmed cell death. However, theoretical studies performed on the molecular level suggest that such nonspecific interactions can also take place with many competitive compounds, such as vitamins containing aromatic rings with lone-pair orbitals.

OBJECTIVE

This work is a theoretical study on the initial Pt-N₇(N₁) bond formation with vitamins from B group and their comparison with values characterizing native purines.

METHODS

Geometries of studied structures were optimized with an aid of Gaussian 09 using the B3LYP functional with the 6-31G** basis set. Atomic orbitals of platinum were represented by the lanl2dz basis. Solvation free energies were evaluated by a self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) approach. A dielectric constant of 78 for water was used in the PCM continuum model computations along with radii Bondii.

RESULTS

The affinities of mono-aqua cis~[Pt(NH₃)₂Cl(H₂O)]+ and di-aqua cis~ [Pt(NH₃)₂(H₂O)₂]²⁺ derivatives of Cisplatinum toward compounds belonging to the group of eight B vitamins were studied and compared to interactions with canonical purines. All the values of ΔGr unambiguously indicate that reactions with cisPt-diaqua are more preferable, but the comparison of ΔGr values obtained for compounds from vitamin B group and the ones characterizing complexes created by Guanine molecules indicates higher affinity of cisPt monomers toward purines.

CONCLUSION

Based on the observations, the regular intake of vitamin-rich beetroot or carrot juices is strongly discouraged during anticancer therapy using CisPt drug. To confirm the results of the performed computational study, detailed clinical trials should be performed.

Remarkably Intricate Raman Spectra of Platinum(II)-Ligand Skeletal Modes in Diamminedihalido Complexes

More than 100 calculations of vibrational frequencies for cis-[Pt(NH₃)₂X₂] (X = Cl^-, Br^-) and trans-[Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂] have been published over the past 25 years. The high-quality Raman spectra presented here have sufficient resolution in the crucial region of metal-ligand modes to permit an assessment of frequency calculations. The peaks for symmetric and antisymmetric Pt-Cl stretching modes ν_s and ν_a are resolved in the 312-333 cm^-1 region. Frequency variations due to ³⁵Cl and ³⁷Cl isotopes are shown to be comparable in size to the differences between ν_s and ν_a. Peaks corresponding to the two Pt-Br stretching frequencies are observed at 213 and 218 cm^-1 and Pt-N stretching frequencies for all compounds between 485 and 540 cm^-1. The crystal structures of trans-[Pt(NH₃)₂Cl₂] and cis-[Pt(NH₃)₂Br₂] at 300 and 120 K are reported and complement the variable-temperature vibrational frequencies.

Influence of DFT Functionals and Solvation Models on the Prediction of Far-Infrared Spectra of Pt-Based Anticancer Drugs: Why Do Different Complexes Require Different Levels of Theory?

Computational modeling was applied to far-infrared (FIR) spectra of Pt-based anticancer drugs to study the hydrolysis of these important molecules. Here, we present a study that investigates the influence of different factors-basis sets on non-Pt atoms, relativistic effective core potentials (RECPs) on the Pt atom, density functional theory (DFT) functionals, and solvation models-on the prediction of FIR spectra of two Pt-based anticancer drugs, cisplatin and carboplatin. Geometry optimizations and frequency calculations were performed with a range of functionals (PBE, PBE0, M06-L, and M06-2X), Dunning's correlation-consisted basis sets (VDZ, VTZ, aVDZ, and aVTZ), RECPs (VDZ-pp, VTZ-pp, aVDZ-pp, and aVTZ-pp), and solvation models (IEFPCM, CPCM, and SMD). The best combination of the basis set/DFT functional/solvation model was identified for each anticancer drug by comparing with experimentally available FIR spectra. Different combinations were established for cisplatin and carboplatin, which was rationalized by means of the partial atomic charge scheme, ChelpG, that was utilized to study the charge transfer between the Pt ion and ligands in both cisplatin and carboplatin.

DFT study of the molecular and crystal structure and vibrational analysis of cisplatin

DFT and periodic-DFT (PAW-PBE method, code VASP) calculations have been performed to study the structural and vibrational characteristics of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cisplatin) at molecular and outside molecular level. To estimate the effect of the intermolecular interactions in crystal on the structural and vibrational properties of cisplatin, three theoretical models are considered in the present study: monomer (isolated molecule), hydrogen bonded dimer and periodic solid state structures. The work focused on the role of the theoretical models for correct modeling and prediction of geometrical and vibrational parameters of cisplatin. It has been found that the elaborate three-dimensional intermolecular hydrogen bonding network in the crystalline cisplatin significantly influences the structural and vibrational pattern of cisplatin and therefore the isolated cisplatin molecule is not the correct computational model regardless of the theoretical level used. To account for the whole intermolecular hydrogen bonding network in direction of both a and c axis and for more reliable calculations of structural and vibrational parameters periodic DFT calculations were carried out in the full crystalline periodic environment with the known lattice parameters for each cisplatin polymorph phase. The model calculations performed both at molecular level and for the periodic structures of alpha and beta cisplatin polymorph forms revealed the decisive role of the extended theoretical model for reliable prediction of the structural and vibrational characteristics of cisplatin. The powder diffraction pattern and the calculated IR and Raman spectra predicted beta polymorph form of our cisplatin sample freshly synthesized for the purposes of the present study using the Dhara's method. The various rotamers realized in the polymorph forms of cisplatin were explained by the low population of the large number of rotamers in solution as well as with the high rotamer interconversion rate due to the low energy barrier.

A nanocomplex of C60 fullerene with cisplatin: design, characterization and toxicity

The self-organization of C₆₀ fullerene and cisplatin in aqueous solution was investigated using the computer simulation, dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy techniques. The results evidence the complexation between the two compounds. The genotoxicity of С₆₀ fullerene, Cis and their complex was evaluated in vitro with the comet assay using human resting lymphocytes and lymphocytes after blast transformation. The cytotoxicity of the mentioned compounds was estimated by Annexin V/PI double staining followed by flow cytometry. The results clearly demonstrate that water-soluble C₆₀ fullerene nanoparticles (0.1 mg/mL) do not induce DNA strand breaks in normal and transformed cells. C₆₀ fullerene in the mixture with Cis does not influence genotoxic Cis activity in vitro, affects the cell-death mode in treated resting human lymphocytes and reduces the fraction of necrotic cells.

Computational study of the anticancer drug cisplatin

Systems containing platinum (Pt) are more challenging for reliable computations, because Pt has 78 electrons and requires relativistic treatment. However, to reduce computational demands, most previous researchers used effective core potentials. In this investigation, we perform numerous computations on the cisplatin molecule with ab initio methods and density functional theory, some of which involve all electron and zero-order relativistic approximation. Tentative conclusions on the reliability of various methods are drawn from comparison of our results with previous calculations and available experimental data. Vibrational and electronic spectra are calculated and compared with previous studies and available experimental data.

Interactions of the "piano-stool" [ruthenium(II)(η(6) -arene)(quinolone)Cl](+) complexes with water; DFT computational study

Full optimizations of stationary points along the reaction coordinate for the hydration of several quinolone Ru(II) half-sandwich complexes were performed in water environment using the B3PW91/6-31+G(d)/PCM/UAKS method. The role of diffuse functions (especially on oxygen) was found crucial for correct geometries along the reaction coordinate. Single-point (SP) calculations were performed at the B3LYP/6-311++G(2df,2pd)/DPCM/saled-UAKS level. In the first part, two possible reaction mechanisms-associative and dissociative were compared. It was found that the dissociative mechanism of the hydration process is kinetically slightly preferred. Another important conclusion concerns the reaction channels. It was found that substitution of chloride ligand (abbreviated in the text as dechlorination reaction) represents energetically and kinetically the most feasible pathway. In the second part the same hydration reaction was explored for reactivity comparison of the Ru(II)-complexes with several derivatives of nalidixic acid: cinoxacin, ofloxacin, and (thio)nalidixic acid. The hydration process is about four orders of magnitude faster in a basic solution compared to neutral/acidic environment with cinoxacin and nalidixic acid as the most reactive complexes in the former and latter environments, respectively. The explored hydration reaction is in all cases endergonic; nevertheless the endergonicity is substantially lower (by ∼6 kcal/mol) in basic environment. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mass Spectrometric and Computational Investigation of the Protonated Carnosine-Carboplatin Complex Fragmentation

Platinum(II)-based anticancer drugs are square-planar d(8) complexes that, activated by hydrolysis, cause cancer cell death by binding to nuclear DNA and distorting its structure. For that reason, interactions of platinum anticancer drugs with DNA have been extensively investigated, aiming at disentangling the mechanism of action and toxicity. Less attention, however, has been devoted to the formation of adducts between platinum drugs with biological ligands other than DNA. These adducts can cause the loss and deactivation of the drug before it arrives at the ultimate target and are also thought to contribute to the drug's toxicity. Here are reported the outcomes of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry experiments and density functional theory (DFT) computations carried out to investigate the fragmentation pathways of the protonated carnosine-carboplatin complex, [Carnosine + CarbPt + H](+). DFT calculations at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ level employed to probe fragmentation mechanisms account for all experimental data. Because of the relative rigidity of the structure of the most stable 1A conformer, stabilized by three strong hydrogen bonds, the first step of all of the examined fragmentation pathways is the interconversion of the 1A conformer into the less stable structure 1B. Formation of the [Carnosine + H](+) fragment from the precursor ion, [Carnosine + CarbPt + H](+), is calculated to be the lowest-energy process. At slightly higher energies, the loss of two amino groups is observed to produce the [Carnosine + (CarbPt - NH3) + H](+) and [Carnosine + (CarbPt - 2NH3) + H](+) ions. At significantly higher energies, the loss of CO2 occurs, yielding the final [Carnosine + (CarbPt - NH3) - CO2 + H](+) and [Carnosine + (CarbPt - 2NH3) - CO2 + H](+) products. Formation of the [CarbPt + H](+) fragment from [Carnosine + CarbPt + H](+), even if not hampered by a high activation barrier, is calculated to be very unfavorable from a thermodynamic point of view.

Fragmentation pathways analysis for the gas phase dissociation of protonated carnosine-oxaliplatin complexes

Collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments on the protonated carnosine-oxaliplatin complex were shown to yield nine different fragment ions. Density functional calculations were employed to probe the fragmentation mechanisms that account for all experimental data.

Molecular structure, IR spectra, and chemical reactivity of cisplatin and transplatin: DFT studies, basis set effect and solvent effect

Three different density functional theory (DFT) methods were employed to study the molecular structures of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (CDDP) and trans-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (TDDP). The basis set effect on the structure was also investigated. By comparing the optimized structures with the experimental data, a relatively more accurate method was chosen for further study of the IR spectra and other properties as well as the solvent effect. Nineteen characteristic vibrational bands of the title compounds were assigned and compared with available experimental data. The number of characteristic peaks for the asymmetric stretching and deformation vibrations of N-H can serve as a judgment for the isomer between CDDP and TDDP. Significant solvent effect was observed on the molecular structures and IR spectra. The reduced density gradient analysis was performed to study the intramolecular interactions of CDDP and TDDP, and the nature of changes in the structures caused by the solvent was illustrated. Several descriptors determined from the energies of frontier molecular orbitals (HOMO and LUMO) were applied to describe the chemical reactivity of the title compounds. The molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) surfaces showed that the amino groups were the most favorable sites that nucleophilic reagents tend to attack, and CDDP was easier to be attacked by nucleophilic reagents than TDDP.

Asymmetric environmental effects on the structure and vibrations of cis-[Pt(NH3)2Cl2] in condensed phases

We report the structural and vibrational properties of anticancer drug cisplatin (cis-[Pt(NH3)2Cl2]) in gas phase, in solid phase, and in aqueous solution using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) molecular dynamics, and effective normal modes analysis. In contrast with the gas-phase case, asymmetric hydrogen bonding environments are found in both solid phase and aqueous solution. It is shown that the discrepancy of the molecular geometry between previous gas phase calculations and the X-ray crystal structure can be resolved by considering intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the calculations of solid phase. In addition, our simulations in solid phase and aqueous solution reveal that asymmetric environmental effects lead to several spectral features observed in experiments, such as the blue-shift in the N-H stretching region and the frequency splitting of NH3 symmetric deformation modes. Furthermore, a similar decoupling and localization of several vibrational modes of cisplatin is found in solid phase and aqueous solution, in comparison to those of O-H stretching modes of water molecules in liquid water [ J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2013 , 4 ( 19 ), 3245 - 3250 ].

cis-Dichlorodiamminoplatinum (II) glyconanoparticles by drug-induced ionic gelation technique targeted to prostate cancer: preparation, optimization and in vitro characterization

BACKGROUND

Cancer stem cells (CSC) have been proposed as the reason of cancer relapse which are characterized mainly based on CD44+ phenotype with other supplementary markers. The aim of the present study is to fabricate cis-dichlorodiamminoplatinum (II) (CDDP) loaded glyconanoparticles using hyaluronic acid (HA) which is also known as the endogenous substrate for CD44 in vivo.

METHODS

For this purpose, a drug-induced ionic gelation technique has been used to prepare CDDP-incorporated nanoparticles. To optimize the fabrication technique, stirring rate, stirring time, and HA/CDDP ratio have been selected as the main factors from other factors and subjected to face-centered central composite design for optimization purposes. The optimized nanoparticles were further characterized using different complementary methods including FTIR, SEM, AFM and DSC. To evaluate the biological effectiveness of CDDP nanoparticles release study, MTS assay, tumor cell clonogenicity and sphere formation assay have been performed as well.

RESULTS

Spherical CDDP nanoparticles with Z-average approx. 150nm with low PdI were prepared by adjusting the selected variables. FTIR results indicated the presence of inclusion complexes between CDDP and HA which lead to preparing nanoparticles with high entrapment efficiency and drug content of 87.4 and 43.74 percentage respectively. In vitro release study showed a sustained release of CDDP up to 4 days, and cellular studies confirmed that nanoparticles formation keeps the anticancer activity of formulated CDDP while moderate increase in cancer stem cell suppression.

CONCLUSION

It seems hyaluronic acid could be successfully exploited as carrier in cancer-targeted drug delivery with a look at targeting the CSCs.

Assessment of new DFT methods for predicting vibrational spectra and structure of cisplatin: which density functional should we choose for studying platinum(II) complexes?

Ten different DFT methods, including several recently developed functionals have been tested for their performances in prediction of infrared and Raman spectra and molecular structure of cisplatin. The assessed DFT methods cover the range from meta-GGA to hybrid, double hybrid and long-range corrected hybrid models (M06-L, M06, M06-2X, PBE0, mPW1PW, B3LYP, B2PLYP, CAM-B3LYP, ωB97XD and LC-ωPBE). The calculated structural parameters and theoretical spectra have been compared to the corresponding experimental data. It is shown that the LC-ωPBE scheme is superior to other DFT methods in predicting the geometry of cisplatin. Unfortunately, the M06-L, M06-2X and B3LYP functionals are deficient in the evaluation of the strength of two Pt←NH3 coordination bonds in cisplatin (the calculated bond lengths are too long and the Pt-N stretching frequencies are underestimated). Both the PBE0 and mPW1PW functionals, in conjunction with the LanL2TZ(f) basis set for Pt give very similar theoretical results and seem to be the best methods for predicting the IR and Raman spectra of cisplatin. The long-range corrected functionals (LC-ωPBE, ωB97XD and CAM-B3LYP) have shown good performances in predicting the frequencies of Pt-ligand vibrations and are promising new tools for theoretical study of novel platinum(II) compounds.

Polymorphism in cisplatin anticancer drug

This study reports a combined experimental and theoretical study of the solid-state polymorphism of the anticancer agent cisplatin. A complete assignment was performed for the inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and Raman spectra collected simultaneously for cisplatin, at different temperatures, with a view to obtain reliable and definitive evidence of the relative thermal stability of its α and β polymorphic species. A marked temperature-dependent hysteresis was observed, as previously reported in the literature. Theoretical calculations were carried out at the density functional theory level, using a plane-wave basis set approach and pseudopotentials. A detailed comparison with the experimental Raman and INS data showed that the α polymorph is present at the lowest temperatures, whereas the β form occurs near room temperature. Furthermore, regions of coexistence of both forms are identified, which depend on the working mode (heating or cooling). These findings imply that Raman spectroscopy allows clear identification of the α and β polymorphs at a given temperature and can unambiguously discriminate between them. Elucidation of the polymorphic equilibrium of this widely used anticancer drug is paramount for its pharmaceutical preparation and storage conditions.

A palladium(II) complex containing both carbonyl and imine oxime ligands: crystal structure, experimental and theoretical UV-vis, IR and NMR studies

A new palladium(II) complex, [Pd(ppeieo)(inap)]·DMSO (ppeieo=(1E,2E)-phenyl-[(1-phenylethyl)imino]-ethanal oxime and inap=isonitrosoacetophenone) has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, UV-vis, IR, NMR. X-ray diffraction analysis of the DMSO solvate of the complex shows that the palladium(II) ion is coordinated in a distorted square-planar geometry by ppeieo and inap, which is formed during the hydrolysis of ppeieo. DFT (B3LYP/LANL2DZ) calculations on the complex have been carried out to correlate geometry and spectroscopic properties such as electronic, vibrational and NMR chemical shifts. The complete vibrational frequency assignments were made and the calculation results were applied to simulate infrared spectra of the title compound which shows good agreement with observed spectra. The calculated HOMO and LUMO energies show that several transitions including the π→π(*) and charge transfer occur within the molecule. The chemical shifts reasonably correspond to the calculated spectra.

Structural and in vitro cytotoxicity studies on 1H-benzimidazol-2-ylmethyl-N-phenyl amine and its Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes

[MLCl(2)]·zH(2)O (L = (1H-benzimidazol-2-ylmethyl)-N-phenyl amine; M = Pd, z = 0; M = Pt, z = 1) and [PdL(OH(2))(2)]·2X·zH(2)O (X = Br, I, NO(3), z = 0; X = SCN, z = 1) complexes were synthesized as potential anticancer compounds and characterized by elemental analysis, spectral and thermal methods. FT-IR and (1)H NMR studies revealed that the benzimidazole L is coordinated to the metal ions via the pyridine-type nitrogen (N(py)) of the benzimidazole ring and secondary amino group (NH(sec)). Quantum mechanical calculations of energies, geometries, vibrational wavenumbers, and (1)H NMR of the benzimidazole L and its complexes were carried out by density functional theory using B3LYP functional combined with 6-31G(d) and LANL2DZ basis sets. Natural bond orbitals (NBOs) and frontier molecular orbitals were performed at B3LYP/LANL2DZ level of theory. The synthesized ligand, in comparison to its metal complexes was screened for its antibacterial activity. The benzimidazole L is more toxic against the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 58 μg/mL) than the standard tetracycline (MIC = 82 μg/mL). The complexes showed cytotoxicity against breast cancer, Colon Carcinoma, and human heptacellular Carcinoma cells. The platinum complex (6) displays cytotoxicity (IC(50) = 12.4 μM) against breast cancer compared with that reported for cis-platin 9.91 μM.

Density functional theory calculations on the molecular structures and vibration spectra of platinum(II) antitumor drugs

A comparison of six density functional theory (DFT) methods and six basis sets for predicting the molecular structures and vibration spectra of cisplatin is reported. The theoretical results are discussed and compared with the experimental data. It is remarkable that LSDA/SDD level is clearly superior to all the remaining density functional methods (including mPW1PW) in predicting the structures of cisplatin. Mean deviation between the calculated harmonic and observed fundamental vibration frequencies for each method is also calculated. The results indicate that PBE1PBE/SDD is the best method to predict all frequencies on average for cisplatin molecule in DFT methods.