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Das U, Paira P. Exploring the phototoxicity of GSH-resistant 2-(5,6-dichloro-1 H-benzo[ d]imidazol-2-yl)quinoline-based Ir(III)-PTA complexes in MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. Dalton Trans 2024; 53:6459-6471. [PMID: 38512047 DOI: 10.1039/d3dt04361d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Metal complexes play a crucial role in photo-activated chemotherapy (PACT), which has recently been used to treat specific disorders. Triple-negative breast cancer has an enormously high rate of relapse due to the existence and survival of cancer stem cells (CSCs) characterized by increased amounts of glutathione (GSH). Hence, designing a phototoxic molecule is an enticing area of research to combat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) via GSH depletion and DNA photocleavage. Herein, we focus on the application of PTA and non-PTA Ir(III) complexes for phototoxicity in the absence and presence of GSH against MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells. Between these two complexes, [Cp*IrIII(DD)PTA]·2Cl (DDIRP) exhibited better phototoxicity (IC50 ∼ 2.80 ± 0.52 μM) compared to the non-PTA complex [Cp*IrIII(DD)Cl]·Cl (DDIR) against TNBC cells because of the high GSH resistance power of the complex DDIRP. The significant potency of the complex DDIRP under photo irradiation in both normoxia and hypoxia conditions can be attributed to selective transportation, high cellular permeability and uptake towards the nucleus, GSH depletion by GSH-GSSG conversion, the ability of strong DNA binding including intercalation, and oxidative stress. The strong affinity to serum albumin, which serves as a carrier protein, aids in the transport of the complex to its target site while preventing glutathione (GSH) deactivation. Consequently, the complex DDIRP was developed as a suitable phototoxic complex in selective cancer therapy, ruling over the usual chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin and the PDT drug Photofrin. The ability of ROS generation under hypoxic conditions delivers this complex as a hypoxia-efficient selective metallodrug for the treatment of TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Utpal Das
- Department of Chemistry, School of Advanced Sciences, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore-632014, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Priyankar Paira
- Department of Chemistry, School of Advanced Sciences, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore-632014, Tamil Nadu, India.
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Kasparkova J, Novohradsky V, Ruiz J, Brabec V. Photoactivatable, mitochondria targeting dppz iridium(III) complex selectively interacts and damages mitochondrial DNA in cancer cells. Chem Biol Interact 2024; 392:110921. [PMID: 38382705 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.110921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Cyclometalated Ir(III) complex [Ir(L)2(dppz)]PF6 (where L = 1-methyl-2-(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole and dppz = dipyrido [3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine) (Ir1) is potent anticancer agent whose potency can be significantly increased by irradiation with blue light. Structural features of the cyclometalated Ir(III) complex Ir1 investigated in this work, particularly the presence of dppz ligand possessing an extended planar area, suggest that this complex could interact with DNA. Here, we have shown that Ir1 accumulates predominantly in mitochondria of cancer cells where effectively and selectively binds mitochondrial (mt)DNA. Additionally, the results demonstrated that Ir1 effectively suppresses transcription of mitochondria-encoded genes, especially after irradiation, which may further affect mitochondrial (and thus also cellular) functions. The observation that Ir1 binds selectively to mtDNA implies that the mechanism of its biological activity in cancer cells may also be connected with its interaction and damage to mtDNA. Further investigations revealed that Ir1 tightly binds DNA in a cell-free environment, with sequence preference for GC over AT base pairs. Although the dppz ligand itself or as a ligand in structurally similar DNA-intercalating Ru polypyridine complexes based on dppz ligand intercalates into DNA, the DNA binding mode of Ir1 comprises surprisingly a groove binding rather than an intercalation. Also interestingly, after irradiation with visible (blue) light, Ir1 was capable of cleaving DNA, likely due to the production of superoxide anion radical. The results of this study show that mtDNA damage by Ir1 plays a significant role in its mechanism of antitumor efficacy. In addition, the results of this work are consistent with the hypothesis and support the view that targeting the mitochondrial genome is an effective strategy for anticancer (photo)therapy and that the class of photoactivatable dipyridophenazine Ir(III) compounds may represent prospective substances suitable for further testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Kasparkova
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, CZ-783 71, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtech Novohradsky
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, CZ-61200, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - José Ruiz
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Universidad de Murcia, And Murcia BioHealth Research Institute (IMIB-Arrixaca), E-30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Viktor Brabec
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, CZ-783 71, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
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Kasparkova J, Hernández-García A, Kostrhunova H, Goicuría M, Novohradsky V, Bautista D, Markova L, Santana MD, Brabec V, Ruiz J. Novel 2-(5-Arylthiophen-2-yl)-benzoazole Cyclometalated Iridium(III) dppz Complexes Exhibit Selective Phototoxicity in Cancer Cells by Lysosomal Damage and Oncosis. J Med Chem 2024; 67:691-708. [PMID: 38141031 PMCID: PMC10788912 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
A second-generation series of biscyclometalated 2-(5-aryl-thienyl)-benzimidazole and -benzothiazole Ir(III) dppz complexes [Ir(C^N)2(dppz)]+, Ir1-Ir4, were rationally designed and synthesized, where the aryl group attached to the thienyl ring was p-CF3C6H4 or p-Me2NC6H4. These new Ir(III) complexes were assessed as photosensitizers to explore the structure-activity correlations for their potential use in biocompatible anticancer photodynamic therapy. When irradiated with blue light, the complexes exhibited high selective potency across several cancer cell lines predisposed to photodynamic therapy; the benzothiazole derivatives (Ir1 and Ir2) were the best performers, Ir2 being also activatable with green or red light. Notably, when irradiated, the complexes induced leakage of lysosomal content into the cytoplasm of HeLa cancer cells and induced oncosis-like cell death. The capability of the new Ir complexes to photoinduce cell death in 3D HeLa spheroids has also been demonstrated. The investigated Ir complexes can also catalytically photo-oxidate NADH and photogenerate 1O2 and/or •OH in cell-free media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Kasparkova
- Czech
Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Kralovopolska 135, Brno CZ-61200, Czech Republic
| | - Alba Hernández-García
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Universidad de Murcia, and Biomedical
Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia E-30100, Spain
| | - Hana Kostrhunova
- Czech
Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Kralovopolska 135, Brno CZ-61200, Czech Republic
| | - Marta Goicuría
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Universidad de Murcia, and Biomedical
Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia E-30100, Spain
| | - Vojtěch Novohradsky
- Czech
Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Kralovopolska 135, Brno CZ-61200, Czech Republic
| | | | - Lenka Markova
- Czech
Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Kralovopolska 135, Brno CZ-61200, Czech Republic
| | - María Dolores Santana
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Universidad de Murcia, and Biomedical
Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia E-30100, Spain
| | - Viktor Brabec
- Czech
Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Kralovopolska 135, Brno CZ-61200, Czech Republic
| | - José Ruiz
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Universidad de Murcia, and Biomedical
Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia E-30100, Spain
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Das U, Paira P. Synthesis, characterization, photophysical and electrochemical properties, and biomolecular interaction of 2,2'-biquinoline based phototoxic Ru(II)/Ir(II) complexes. Dalton Trans 2023; 52:12608-12617. [PMID: 37314097 DOI: 10.1039/d3dt01348k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The phototoxic nature of drugs has been seen to convey immense importance in photo activated chemotherapy (PACT) for the selective treatment of disease. Rationally, in order to eradicate the vehemence of cancer in a living body, the design of phototoxic molecules has been of growing interest in research to establish a selective strategy for cancer therapy. Therefore, the present work portrays the synthesis of a phototoxic anticancer agent by incorporating ruthenium(II) and iridium(III) metals into a biologically active 2,2'-biquinoline moiety, BQ. The complexes, RuBQ and IrBQ, have been revealed as effective anticancer agents with remarkable toxicity in the presence of light compared to the dark towards HeLa and MCF-7 cancer cell lines due to the production of a profuse amount of singlet oxygen (1O2) upon irradiation by visible light (400-700 nm). Complex IrBQ exhibited the best toxicity (IC50 = 8.75 μM in MCF-7 and 7.23 μM in HeLa) in comparison to the RuBQ complex under visible light. RuBQ and IrBQ displayed considerable quantum yields (Φf) along with a good lipophilic property, indicating the cellular imaging capability of both complexes upon significant accumulation in cancer cells. Also, the complexes have shown significant binding propensity with biomolecules, viz. deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as well as serum albumin (BSA, HSA).
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Affiliation(s)
- Utpal Das
- Department of Chemistry, School of Advanced Sciences, Vellore Institute of Technology Vellore-632014, Tamilnadu, India.
| | - Priyankar Paira
- Department of Chemistry, School of Advanced Sciences, Vellore Institute of Technology Vellore-632014, Tamilnadu, India.
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Northcote-Smith J, Suntharalingam K. Targeting chemotherapy-resistant tumour sub-populations using inorganic chemistry: Anti-cancer stem cell metal complexes. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2023; 72:102237. [PMID: 36542889 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.102237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSC) are a sub-population of tumours linked to metastasis and relapse. Current chemotherapeutic drug options are ineffective against CSCs at their administered doses. New families of cytotoxic agents, and new, highly specific ways of delivering them to CSCs, are needed to provide durable clinical outcomes. Inorganic compounds have recently emerged as a promising class of anti-CSC agents with clinically relevant potencies. In this short review, we present the very latest efforts (post-2020) on the development of anti-CSC metal complexes. The activities of the metal complexes in monolayer and three-dimensional CSC cultures and animal models is documented. The mechanism of action of the metal complexes with respect to their chemical structures is also highlighted.
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Olelewe C, Awuah SG. Mitochondria as a target of third row transition metal-based anticancer complexes. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2023; 72:102235. [PMID: 36516614 PMCID: PMC9870944 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.102235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In pursuit of better treatment options for malignant tumors, metal-based complexes continue to show promise as attractive chemotherapeutics due to tunability, novel mechanisms, and potency exemplified by platinum agents. The metabolic character of tumors renders the mitochondria and other metabolism pathways fruitful targets for medicinal inorganic chemistry. Cumulative understanding of the role of mitochondria in tumorigenesis has ignited research in mitochondrial targeting metal-based complexes to overcome resistance and inhibit tumor growth with high potency and selectivity. Here, we discuss recent progress made in third row transition metal-based mitochondrial targeting agents with the goal of stimulating an active field of research toward new clinical anticancer agents and the elucidation of novel mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chibuzor Olelewe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506, USA
| | - Samuel G Awuah
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536, United States; University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536, United States.
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Chang MR, Rusanov DA, Arakelyan J, Alshehri M, Asaturova AV, Kireeva GS, Babak MV, Ang WH. Targeting emerging cancer hallmarks by transition metal complexes: Cancer stem cells and tumor microbiome. Part I. Coord Chem Rev 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2022.214923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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Li W, Shi C, Wu X, Zhang Y, Liu H, Wang X, Huang C, Liang L, Liu Y. Light activation of iridium(III) complexes driving ROS production and DNA damage enhances anticancer activity in A549 cells. J Inorg Biochem 2022; 236:111977. [PMID: 36030672 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2022.111977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The work aimed to synthesize and characterize two iridium(III) complexes [Ir(ppy)2(IPPH)](PF6) (Ir1, IPPH = (2S,3R,5S,6R)-2-(2-(1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthrolin-2-yl)phenoxy)-6-(hydroxymethyl)tetrahydro-2H-pyran-3,4,5-triol, ppy = 2-phenylpyridine), [Ir(piq)2(IPPH)](PF6) (Ir2, piq = 1-phenylisoquinoline). The cytotoxicity of the complexes against BEL-7402, A549, HCT-116, B16 cancer cells and normal LO2 was evaluated through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-biphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. The complexes show no cytotoxic activity (IC50 > 100 μM) against these cancer cells, while their cytotoxicity can significantly be elevated upon illumination. The IC50 values range from 0.2 ± 0.05 to 35.5 ± 3.5 μM. The cellular uptake, endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria localization, reactive oxygen species, the change of mitochondrial membrane potential, γ-H2AX levels, cycle arrest, apoptosis and the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 were investigated. The calreticulin (CRT), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were explored. This study demonstrates that photoactivatable complexes induce cell death in A549 through ROS-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress-mitochondrial pathway, DNA damage pathways, immunogenic cell death (ICD), activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and inhibit the cell growth at S phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlong Li
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Chuanling Shi
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Xiaoyun Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Haimei Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Xiuzhen Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
| | - Chunxia Huang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Lijuan Liang
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Yunjun Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery Systems and Guangdong Provincial Engineering Center of Topical Precise Drug Delivery System, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
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