α-Diimine Cisplatin Derivatives: Synthesis, Structure, Cyclic Voltammetry and Cytotoxicity

Three new Pt(II) complexes [(dpp-DAD)PtCl₂] (I), [(Mes-DAD(Me)₂)PtCl₂] (II) and [(dpp-DAD(Me)₂)PtCl₂] (III) were synthesized by the direct reaction of [(CH₃CN)₂PtCl₂] and corresponding redox-active 1,4-diaza-1,3-butadienes (DAD). The compounds were isolated in a single crystal form and their molecular structures were determined by X-ray diffraction. The purity of the complexes and their stability in solution was confirmed by NMR analysis. The Pt(II) ions in all compounds are in a square planar environment. The electrochemical reduction of complexes I-III proceeds in two successive cathodic stages. The first quasi-reversible reduction leads to the relatively stable monoanionic complexes; the second cathodic stage is irreversible. The coordination of 1,4-diaza-1,3-butadienes ligands with PtCl₂ increases the reduction potential and the electron acceptor ability of the DAD ligands. The synthesized compounds were tested in relation to an adenocarcinoma of the ovary (SKOV3).

Ruthenium(II)-Tris-pyrazolylmethane Complexes Inhibit Cancer Cell Growth by Disrupting Mitochondrial Calcium Homeostasis

While ruthenium arene complexes have been widely investigated for their medicinal potential, studies on homologous compounds containing a tridentate tris(1-pyrazolyl)methane ligand are almost absent in the literature. Ruthenium(II) complex 1 was obtained by a modified reported procedure; then, the reactions with a series of organic molecules (L) in boiling alcohol afforded novel complexes 2–9 in 77–99% yields. Products 2–9 were fully structurally characterized. They are appreciably soluble in water, where they undergo partial chloride/water exchange. The antiproliferative activity was determined using a panel of human cancer cell lines and a noncancerous one, evidencing promising potency of 1, 7, and 8 and significant selectivity toward cancer cells. The tested compounds effectively accumulate in cancer cells, and mitochondria represent a significant target of biological action. Most notably, data provide convincing evidence that the mechanism of biological action is mediated by the inhibiting of mitochondrial calcium intake.

DFT Investigation of the Molecular Properties of the Dimethylglyoximato Complexes [M(Hdmg)2] (M = Ni, Pd, Pt)

Important applications of the NiII, PdII and PtII complexes [M(Hdmg)2] (H2dmg = dimethylglyoxime) stem from their metal...metal stacked virtually insoluble aggregates. Given the virtual insolubility of the materials, we postulated that the rare reports on dissolved species in solution do not represent monomolecular species but oligomers. We thus studied the structural and spectral properties of the monomolecular entities of these compounds using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT computations in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a solvent. The molecular geometries, IR and UV-vis spectra, and frontier orbitals properties were computed using LANL2DZ ecp and def2TZVP as basis sets and M06-2X as the functional. The results are compared with the available experimental and other calculated data. The optimised molecular geometries proved the asymmetric character of the two formed O–H…O bonds which connect the two Hdmg‒ ligands in the completely planar molecules. Calculated UV-vis spectra revealed the presence of three absorptions in the range 180 to 350 nm that are red-shifted along the series Ni–Pd–Pt. They were assigned to essentially ligand-centred π−π* transitions in part with metal(d) to ligand(π*) charge transfer (MLCT) contributions. The notorious d‒p transitions dominating the colour and electronics of the compounds in the solid-state and oligomeric stacks are negligible in our monomolecular models strongly supporting the idea that the previously reported spectroscopic observations or biological effects in solutions are not due to monomolecular complexes but rather to oligomeric dissolved species.