Probing chemical reduction in a cobalt(III) complex as a viable route for the inhibition of the 20S proteasome

Platinum(II) and Copper(II) complexes of asymmetric halogen-substituted [NN'O] ligands: Synthesis, characterization, structural investigations and antiproliferative activity

In order to better understand the effect of structure, halogen substitution, metal ions and ligand flexibility on antiproliferative activity, eight Cu(II) complexes and eight Pt(II) complexes were obtained of 2,4-X₁,X₂-6-((pyridine-2-ylmethylamino)methyl)phenol and 2,4-X₁,X₂-6-((pyridine-2-ylmethylamino)ethyl)phenol (where X is Cl, Br, or I) ligands. The compounds were characterized with various techniques, such as FT-IR, NMR, elemental analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). The X-ray structures showed that ligand acts as a bidentate and tridentate donor in Cu(II) and Pt(II) complexes, respectively. This difference in structures is due to the use or non-use of base in the preparation of complexes. Also, complexation of Cl₂-H₂L₁ with CuCl₂·2H₂O gives two different types of structures: polymer (Cl₂-H₂L₁-Cu^polymer) and dimer (Cl₂-H₂L₁-Cu^dimer), according to the crystal color. In addition, ¹H NMR spectrum for platinum complexes display two set of signals that can be attributed to the presence of two isomers in solution. All complexes induced moderate to high reduction in A2780 and HCT116 cancer cell viability. However, only complexes bearing iodo- substituted in ligands exhibited significantly low cytotoxicity in normal fibroblasts when compared with cancer cell lines. The antiproliferative effect exhibited by I₂-H₂L₂-Cu complex in A2780 cell line was due to induction of cell death mechanisms, namely by apoptosis and autophagy. I₂-H₂L₂-Cu complex does not cause DNA cleavage but a slight delay in cell cycle was observed for the first 24 h of exposition. High cytotoxicity was related with the induction of intracellular ROS. This increase in intracellular ROS was not accompanied by destabilization of the mitochondrial membrane which is an indication that ROS are being triggered externally by I₂-H₂L₂-Cu complex and in agreement with an extrinsic apoptosis activation. I₂-H₂L₂-Cu complex has a pro-angiogenic effect, increasing the vascularization of the CAM in chicken embryos. This is also a very important characteristic in cancer treatment since the increased vascularization in tumors might facilitate the delivery of therapeutic drugs. Taken together, these results support the potential therapeutic of the I₂-H₂L₂-Cu complex.

Co(iii) complexes of (1,3-selenazol-2-yl)hydrazones and their sulphur analogues

The first Co(iii) complexes with (1,3-selenazol-2-yl)hydrazones as an unexplored class of ligands were prepared and characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The novel ligands act as NNN tridentate chelators forming octahedral Co(iii) complexes. The impact of structural changes on ligands' periphery as well as that of isosteric replacement of sulphur with selenium on the electrochemical and electronic absorption features of complexes are explored. To support the experimental data, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were also conducted. Theoretical NMR chemical shifts, the relative energies and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis are calculated within the DFT approach, while the singlet excited state energies and HOMO-LUMO energy gap were calculated with time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). The electrophilic f^- and nucleophilic f⁺ Fukui functions are well adapted to find the electrophile and nucleophile centres in the molecules. Both (1,3-selenazol-2-yl)- and (1,3-thiazol-2-yl)hydrazone Co(iii) complexes showed potent antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. A significant difference among them was a smaller cytotoxicity of selenium compounds.

Modulation of electronic and redox properties in phenolate-rich cobalt(iii) complexes and their implications for catalytic proton reduction

The redox, spectroscopic and catalytic activity of a series of cobalt complexes with phenolate-rich environments was investigated. The complex [Co^III(L^Cl)MeOH] shows considerable proton reduction in MeCN:HOAc with TON = 10.8.

Inhibition of the 26S proteasome as a possible mechanism for toxicity of heavy metal species

In this paper we report on the synthesis of five metal complexes coordinated to the [NN'O] ligand HL(iodo) (2,4-diiodo-6-((pyridine-2-ylmethylamino)methyl)phenol), namely [Al(III)(L(iodo))2]ClO4 (1), [Cd(II)(L(iodo))Cl]·H2O (2), [Hg(II)(L(iodo))2]·4DMSO (3), [Pb(II)(L(iodo))NO3] (4), and [Sn(IV)(L(iodo))Cl3] (5). Species 1-5 are thoroughly characterized by spectroscopic and spectrometric methods, as well as by elemental analysis. X-ray crystallography results for complex 3 indicate the presence of Hg(II) ion hexacoordinated to two facially oriented [NN'O] ligands, whereas for complex 5 an Sn(IV) ion chelates to one deprotonated ligand and three chlorido coligands. The toxicity of species 1-5 is tested against transformed human prostate epithelial cells CRL2221 and we observe that the five complexes demonstrate high levels of cell growth inhibition in a dose-dependent manner. In order to evaluate the relationship between these species and the proteasome, we test 1-5 against purified 20S, CRL2221 cell extracts, and intact cells, followed by the measurement of the percent chymotrypsin-like activity inhibition levels. Results suggest a good correlation between the toxicity of [Hg(II)(L(iodo))2]·4DMSO (3) and proteasome inhibition.

Cobalt derivatives as promising therapeutic agents

Inorganic complexes are versatile platforms for the development of potent and selective pharmaceutical agents. Cobalt possesses a diverse array of properties that can be manipulated to yield promising drug candidates. Investigations into the mechanism of cobalt therapeutic agents can provide valuable insight into the physicochemical properties that can be harnessed for drug development. This review presents examples of bioactive cobalt complexes with special attention to their mechanisms of action. Specifically, cobalt complexes that elicit biological effects through protein inhibition, modification of drug activity, and bioreductive activation are discussed. Insights gained from these examples reveal features of cobalt that can be rationally tuned to produce therapeutics with high specificity and improved efficacy for the biomolecule or pathway of interest.