Electrochemical studies of the bis (triphenyl phosphine) ruthenium(II) complex, cis -[RuCl2(L)(PPh3)2], with L = 2-(2′-pyridyl)quinoxaline

First-Row Transition Metal Complexes Incorporating the 2-(2'-pyridyl)quinoxaline Ligand (pqx), as Potent Inflammatory Mediators: Cytotoxic Properties and Biological Activities against the Platelet-Activating Factor (PAF) and Thrombin

Inflammatory mediators constitute a recently coined term in the field of metal-based complexes with antiplatelet activities. Our strategy targets Platelet-Activating Factor (PAF) and its receptor, which is the most potent lipid mediator of inflammation. Thus, the antiplatelet (anti-PAF) potency of any substance could be exerted by inhibiting the PAF-induced aggregation in washed rabbit platelets (WRPs), which internationally is a well-accepted methodology. Herein, a series of mononuclear (mer-[Cr(pqx)Cl3(H2O]) (1), [Co(pqx)Cl2(DMF)] (2) (DMF = N,N'-dimethyl formamide), [Cu(pqx)Cl2(DMSO)] (3) (DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide), [Zn(pqx)Cl2] (4)) and dinuclear complexes ([Mn(pqx)(H2O)2Cl2]2 (5), [Fe(pqx)Cl2]2 (6) and [Ni(pqx)Cl2]2 (7)) incorporating the 2-(2'-pyridyl)quinoxaline ligand (pqx), were biologically evaluated as inhibitors of the PAF- and thrombin-induced aggregation in washed rabbit platelets (WRPs). The molecular structure of the five-co-ordinate analog (3) has been elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealing a trigonal bipyramidal geometry. All complexes are potent inhibitors of the PAF-induced aggregation in WRPs in the micromolar range. Complex (6) displayed a remarkable in vitro dual inhibition against PAF and thrombin, with IC50 values of 1.79 μM and 0.46 μM, respectively. Within the series, complex (5) was less effective (IC50 = 39 μM) while complex (1) was almost 12-fold more potent against PAF, as opposed to thrombin-induced aggregation. The biological behavior of complexes 1, 6 and 7 on PAF's basic metabolic enzymatic pathways reveals that they affect key biosynthetic and catabolic enzymes of PAF underlying the anti-inflammatory properties of the relevant complexes. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of all complexes in HEK293T (human embryonic kidney cells) and HeLa cells (cervical cancer cells) are described via the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results reveal that complex 3 is the most potent within the series.

Hybrid material by anchoring a ruthenium(ii) imine complex to SiO2: preparation, characterization and DFT studies

Ruthenium-silica hybrid material (RuCl₂(PR₃)₂-2-PyCH-AMPTSi/SiO₂) was prepared and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. A deconvolution procedure was applied to the spectroscopic data to deconstruct the overlapped bands. A density functional theoretical approach was applied to get insights into the electronic structure of the ruthenium coordination site and the functional RI-PBE-D3/Def2TZVP basis set was used for the optimization. Relativistic effects were considered using the zero-order regular approximation (ZORA). The anchoring process, evinced for each step of the synthesis of the hybrid material, was tracked by FT-IR analyses. The transitions observed in the FT-IR spectra were verified by DFT analyses, which agree with the experimental data. In the DRS-UV-Vis spectra, three main bands were detected by the deconvolution procedure that correspond to the charge transfer transitions, with the main contributions from ruthenium-chlorine and imine-pyridine fragments. TD-DFT results reveal that ruthenium-chlorine antibonding orbitals act as main charge donors, while pyridine-imine is the main charge acceptor.

A 2-(2’-pyridyl)quinoline ruthenium(II) complex as an active catalyst for the transfer hydrogenation of ketones

The ruthenium(II) complex cis-[RuCl2(PPh3)2(L1)] (1) where L1 = 2-(2’-pyridyl)quinoline was obtained in high yield from the reaction of [RuCl2(PPh3)3] with L1. The new compound was characterized by different spectroscopic methods including FT-IR, UV-Vis, NMR (1H, 31P) spectroscopy along with a mass spectrometric analysis (ESI-MS) and conductivity measurements. 31P NMR spectroscopy provided evidence that the two PPh3 ligands are orientated trans to each other in an octahedral environment. Complex (1) was tested in the transfer hydrogenation of various ketones in 2-propanol at 82 oC. The catalytic activity of (1) displayed quantitative conversions for benzophenone and 4-chloroacetophenone.