9,9-Difluorobispidine Analogues of Cisplatin, Carboplatin, and Oxaliplatin

Evaluation of Dithiocarbamate-Modified Silica for Cisplatin Removal from Water

Despite the globally increasing use of platinum-based cytostatic drugs in the treatment of several types of cancer, only limited attention has been paid to developing a treatment for contaminated liquid samples originating from hospitals, laboratories and manufacturing facilities before and after their administration. In this work, we assess the efficiency of a low-cost adsorbent material, a dithiocarbamate-functionalized silica, in removing cisplatin from a solution containing it in the 0.5–150 mg L−1 concentration range. The advantage of having a surface-functionalized silica is that adsorption can occur by either non-covalent interaction or surface complexation. In the latter case platinum(II) is de-complexed and the original drug is no longer present. Adsorption occurs through a first rapid step, followed by a second slower process. This is likely due to the fact that in our operating conditions (0.9% w/v NaCl), only the original compound is present, for which ligand substitution is known to proceed slowly. The interesting performance, even at low metal concentration, and facile synthesis of the material mean it could be adapted for other applications where the recycling of platinum can be realized.

The Dark Side of Platinum Based Cytostatic Drugs: From Detection to Removal

The uncontrolled release of pharmaceutical drugs into the environment raised serious concerns in the last decades as they can potentially exert adverse effects on living organisms even at the low concentrations at which they are typically found. Among them, platinum based cytostatic drugs (Pt CDs) are among the most used drugs in cancer treatments which are administered via intravenous infusion and released partially intact or as transformation products. In this review, the studies on environmental occurrence, transformation, potential ecotoxicity, and possible treatment for the removal of platinum cytostatic compounds are revised. The analysis of the literature highlighted the generally low total platinum concentration values (from a few tens of ng L−1 to a few hundred μg L−1) found in hospital effluents. Additionally, several studies highlighted how hospitals are sources of a minor fraction of the total Pt CDs found in the environment due to the slow excretion rate which is longer than the usual treatment durations. Only some data about the impact of the exposure to low levels of Pt CDs on the health of flora and fauna are present in literature. In some cases, adverse effects have been shown to occur in living organisms, even at low concentrations. Further ecotoxicity data are needed to support or exclude their chronic effects on the ecosystem. Finally, fundamental understanding is required on the platinum drugs removal by MBR, AOPs, technologies, and adsorption.

Preferential Cochleotoxicity of Cisplatin

Cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in humans is more predominant in the cochlea than in the vestibule. Neither definite nor substantial vestibular dysfunction after cisplatin treatment has been consistently reported in the current literature. Inner ear hair cells seem to have intrinsic characteristics that make them susceptible to direct exposure to cisplatin. The existing literature suggests, however, that cisplatin might have different patterns of drug trafficking across the blood-labyrinth-barrier, or different degrees of cisplatin uptake to the hair cells in the cochlear and vestibular compartments. This review proposes an explanation for the preferential cochleotoxicity of cisplatin based on current evidence as well as the anatomy and physiology of the inner ear. The endocochlear potential, generated by the stria vascularis, acting as the driving force for hair cell mechanoelectrical transduction might also augment cisplatin entry into cochlear hair cells. Better understanding of the stria vascularis might shed new light on cochleotoxic mechanisms and inform the development of otoprotective interventions to moderate cisplatin associated ototoxicity.

Novel approach to accurately predict bond strength and ligand lability in platinum-based anticancer drugs

Prompted by the antineoplastic properties of cisplatin, a plethora of platinum(ii)-based complexes have been synthesized in the past decades. At present, their rational design is based on a number of structure-activity relationships involving the nature of the ligands initially coordinated to platinum(ii): either non-labile (acting as a carrier) or labile (undergoing substitution). The coordinate bond strength of the labile ligand plays a key role in the first step of the drug mechanism of action, i.e., the hydrolysis process, which is associated to the retention time of the medicine in the body. Therefore, an accurate determination of the metal-ligand bond strength becomes highly relevant as it will help the rational design of novel chemotherapeutic agents. Herein, we challenge the recently developed intrinsic bond strength index (IBSI) as a rapid and practical tool to assess the ligand lability in Pt(ii) complexes. In a first stage, given the importance of the trans-effect in synthetic strategies of cisplatin-based drugs, the effect of eleven trans-directing ligands T is quantified in two sets of complexes [Pt(NH3)2(H2O)T]n+ and [PtCl2(NH3)T]m+ where T = H2O, F-, NH3, Cl-, Br-, I-, SO32-, CH3-, CN-, CO, and H-. An essential outcome of this work is a novel index IBSItrans = IBSIσ + IBSIπ able to rank the directing ligands by their trans-effect according to their σ-donation and π-backbonding electronic contributions. In a second stage, we apply the IBSI score to a panel of eleven case studies, comprising mostly antineoplastic agents, such as cisplatin, carboplatin, lobaplatin etc., in order to quantify the coordinate bond strength of the ligands, providing insights about the hydrolysis process. The obtained results, in good agreement with experimental data and reported theoretical studies, demonstrate that the IBSI score is able to deliver a rapid and reliable picture of the coordinate bond strength, representing a chemically intuitive tool helpful for the development of novel anticancer agents prior to synthetic efforts.

Ni(II), Pd(II), and Pt(II) Complexes of the Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor GANT61-D

GANT61-D is an important hedgehog pathway inhibitor and an interesting ligand candidate for metal coordination. The first examples of metal complexes of the potent hedgehog pathway inhibitor GANT61-D are described. The reaction of Ni(II), Pd(II), and Pt(II) precursors with the hedgehog pathway inhibitor GANT61-D gave [Ni^II(GANT61-D)(OH₂)₃(μ²-SO₄)(μ³-SO₄)] (1), [Pd^II(Cl)(GANT61-D)]Cl (2), [Pt^II(Cl)(GANT61-D)]Cl, and [Pt^II(CBDCA_-2H)(GANT61-D)]. X-ray crystal structure analysis revealed that GANT61-D is a versatile N-donor ligand that can act as a bidentate ligand via the diaminopropane (DAP) N atoms or a tridentate ligand via the DAP N atoms and one dimethylaniline N atom. Protonation constants of the GANT61-D ligand in water and in a 60:40 (w/w) dimethyl sulfoxide-water solvent mixture were determined. Potentiometric and spectroscopic data on the Ni^II(GANT61-D) system indicate the formation of octahedral 1:1 species with medium stability in solution. 1 and 2 exhibited noteworthy in vitro cytotoxicity against medulloblastoma cancer cells.

α-Diimine homologues of cisplatin: synthesis, speciation in DMSO/water and cytotoxicity

α-Diimine Pt(ii) complexes display variable stability in DMSO and DMSO/water mixtures, depending on the nature of the N-substituents. The most stable compounds are moderately cytotoxic, or are essentially inactive, against A2780 and A2780cisR cancer cell lines.