Synthesis and Preliminary Bio-evaluation of Polyaspartamide Co-conjugates of p-Amino-salicylic Acid Chelated Platinum(II) and Ferrocene Complexes

Has Ferrocene Really Delivered Its Role in Accentuating the Bioactivity of Organic Scaffolds?

Ferrocene is an important structural core in bioorganometallic chemistry because of its inherent stability, excellent redox properties, and low toxicity. Ferroquine and ferrocifen are two of the most notable contributions of ferrocene to medicinal chemistry with remarkable antimalarial and anticancer properties. The improved medicinal properties of these drug candidates highlight the impact that ferrocene can have on the molecular and biological properties of the bioactive compounds. In this Perspective, we investigate the scope and limitations of ferrocene incorporation into organic compounds/natural products on their mode of action and biological activities. We have also discussed the detailed role of ferrocene modifications in influencing the anticancer, antimalarial, and antimicrobial properties of various bioactive moieties to design safer and promising ferrocene-based drugs.

Macromolecular Prodrugs Containing Organoiron-Based Compounds in Cancer Research: A Review

Among the methods used for the treatment of cancer, chemotherapy is widely used, and it is by far one of the most unpleasant procedures given to a patient because of its severe side effects; while being necessary. One of the major problems in cancer chemotherapy is the limited selectivity of most of the drugs in current clinical use. Following administration, the active agent is distributed over the entire body and reaches not only the target cells or tissues but also interacts with healthy cells. In an attempt to overcome the side effects of anticancer drugs, the modification of the anticancer bioactive compounds has been a topic of active research for years. Numerous delivery systems such as drugcontaining liposomes, microencapsulation, nanoparticles, and water-soluble polymers have been used for the delivery of bioactive compounds to the site of action. Water-soluble polymeric conjugates and co-conjugates have remained the most outstanding delivery technique. This review will discuss the development of polymeric conjugates and co-conjugates of ferrocene in cancer research.

Carbon nanospheres conjugated bisphosphonates: synthesis, characterization and in vitro antimalarial activity

About 40% of the world's population lives in malaria zones where it presents a challenging health problem. Malaria treatment and prevention have been hindered by drug resistance. Bisphosphonates have been found to be active against Trypanosoma cruzi and Plasmodium falciparum that cause Chaga's disease and malaria respectively. However, bisphosphonates have a shortcoming of being rapidly removed from the bloodstream through the kidneys before reaching the target sites due to their low molecular weight. In the current study, increased bisphosphonates' efficacy for malaria treatment was attempted by conjugating bisphosphonates onto carbon nanospheres (CNSs). The synthesis of the target compounds was confirmed by SEM, TEM, EDX, FTIR, Raman and TGA. The target CNSs containing bisphosphonates were evaluated for antimalarial activity against a chloroquine-resistant strain of P. falciparum. From the free bisphosphonates to the conjugates, the results obtained revealed that there were improvements in percentage parasite kill (from -10.71% to 18%, -18.93% to 28.09% and 10.47% to 28.33% for alendronate, pamidronate and neridronate, respectively). The haemolysis assays revealed that the synthesized compound did not have a toxic impact on healthy red blood cells. The results indicate that bisphosphonates conjugated CNSs are said to be promising P. falciparum blood stage inhibitors.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Spectroscopic Properties, and Interaction with Ct-DNA of Zn(II) with 2-Aminoethanethiol Hydrochloride Ligand

The zinc(II) complex (C₂H₆NS)₂Zn·ZnCl₂ was synthesized with 2-aminoethanethiol hydrochloride and zinc sulfate heptahydrate as the raw materials in aqueous solution. The composition and structure of the complex were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectra, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetry. The crystal structure of the zinc(II) complex belongs to monoclinic system, space group P  2₁/n, with cell parameters of a = 0.84294(4), b = 0.83920(4), c = 1.65787(8) nm, Z = 2, and D = 2.041 g/cm³. In this paper, the interaction of complex with Ct-DNA was investigated by UV-visible and viscosimetric techniques. Upon addition of the complex, important changes were observed in the characteristic UV-Vis bands (hyperchromism) of calf thymus DNA and some changes in specific viscosity. The experimental results showed that the complex is bound to DNA intercalative (intercalation binding).