A thiosemicarbazone copper(II) complex as a potential anticancer agent

Unveiling the promising anticancer effect of copper-based compounds: a comprehensive review

Copper is a necessary micronutrient for maintaining the well-being of the human body. The biological activity of organic ligands, especially their anticancer activity, is often enhanced when they coordinate with copper(I) and (II) ions. Copper and its compounds are capable of inducing tumor cell death through various mechanisms of action, including activation of apoptosis signaling pathways by reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibition of angiogenesis, induction of cuproptosis, and paraptosis. Some of the copper complexes are currently being evaluated in clinical trials for their ability to map tumor hypoxia in various cancers, including locally advanced rectal cancer and bulky tumors. Several studies have shown that copper nanoparticles can be used as effective agents in chemodynamic therapy, phototherapy, hyperthermia, and immunotherapy. Despite the promising anticancer activity of copper-based compounds, their use in clinical trials is subject to certain limitations. Elevated copper concentrations may promote tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis by affecting cellular processes.

Trigger of apoptosis in adenocarcinoma gastric cell line (AGS) by a complex of thiosemicarbazone and copper nanoparticles

BACKGROUND

Seeking novel anticancer agents with minimal side effects against gastric cancer is vitally important. Copper, as an important trace element, takes roles in different physiologic pathways. Also, there is a higher demand for copper in cancer cells than normal ones. Copper complexes containing a therapeutic ligand could be promising candidates for gastric cancer chemotherapy.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this work, copper oxide nanoparticles were synthesized, functionalized with glutamic acid (CuO@Glu) and conjugated with thiosemicarbazone (CuO@Glu/TSC NPs). The NPs were characterized and their antiproliferative potential against AGS cancer cells was investigated using MTT, flow cytometry, Hoechst staining, and caspase 3 activation assays. The FT-IR results showed the proper binding of TSC to CuO@Glu NPs and crystallinity of the prepared NPs was confirmed by the XRD pattern. The EDX analysis confirmed the presence of Cu, N, C, O, and S elements and lack of impurities. The Hydrodynamic size and zeta potential of the CuO@Glu/TSC NPs were 168 nm and 27.5 mV, respectively. The NPs had spherical shape and were in a size range of 10 to 60 nm in diameter. This work revealed that CuO@Glu/TSC NPs efficiently inhibited the proliferation of AGS cells with significantly lower IC₅₀ value (203 µg/mL) than normal HEK293 cells (IC₅₀ = 435 µg/mL). Flow cytometry and Hoechst staining obviously revealed apoptosis induction among CuO@Glu/TSC treated cells, and caspase-3 activity significantly increased by 1.4 folds.

CONCLUSIONS

This study introduced CuO@Glu/TSC as an efficient anticancer against gastric cancer cells with lower toxicity toward normal cells which could be employed for cancer treatment after further studies.

Copper(II) complexes based on thiosemicarbazone ligand: Preparation, crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface, energy framework, antiMycobacterium activity, in silico and molecular docking studies

Considering the promising previous results on the remarkable activity exhibited by cobalt(III) and manganese(II) thiosemicarbazone compounds as antibacterial agents, the present study aimed to prepare and then evaluate the antibacterial activity of two different types of Cu(II) complexes based on a 2-acetylpyridine-N(4)-methyl-thiosemicarbazone ligand (Hatc-Me), a monomer complex [CuCl(atc-Me)] and a novel dinuclear complex [{Cu(μ-atc-Me)}₂μ-SO₄]. The compounds were characterized by infrared spectra, ultraviolet visible and CHN elemental analysis. In addition, the crystalline structures of the complexes were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In both cases, the Schiff base ligand coordinated in a tridentate mode via the pyridine nitrogen, imine nitrogen and sulfur atoms. The two Cu(II) atoms in the dimer are five coordinate, consisting of three NNS-donor atoms from the thiosemicarbazone ligand connected by a sulfate bridge. The Hirshfeld surface and energy framework of the complexes were additionally analyzed to verify the intermolecular interactions. The biological activity of the Cu(II) salts, the free ligand and its Cu(II) complexes was evaluated against six strains of mycobacteria including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The complexes showed promising results as antibacterial agents for M. avium and M. tuberculosis, which ranged from 6.12 to 12.73 μM. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis was performed and the binding energy of the docked compound [{Cu(μ-atc-Me)}₂μ-SO₄] with M. tuberculosis and M. avium strains were extremely favorable (-11.11 and - 14.03 kcal/mol, respectively). The in silico results show that the complexes are potential candidates for the development of new antimycobacterial drugs.

Synthesis of 2-acetylpyridine-N-substituted thiosemicarbazonates of copper(ii) with high antimicrobial activity against methicillin resistant S. aureus, K. pneumoniae 1 and C. albicans

The basic interest in the present study pertains to developing metal based antimicrobial agents, as several microorganisms have built resistance to the conventional drugs.

A Perspective - can copper complexes be developed as a novel class of therapeutics?

Although copper-ligand complexes appear to be promising as a new class of therapeutics, other than the family of copper(ii) coordination compounds referred to as casiopeínas these compounds have yet to reach the clinic for human use. The pharmaceutical challenges associated with developing copper-based therapeutics will be presented in this article along with a discussion of the potential for high-throughput chemistry, computer-aided drug design, and nanotechnology to address the development of this important class of drug candidates.

A novel copper(II) complex identified as a potent drug against colorectal and breast cancer cells and as a poison inhibitor for human topoisomerase IIα

A novel complex, [Cu(acetylethTSC)Cl]Cl•0.25C2H5OH 1 (where acetylethTSC = (E)-N-ethyl-2-[1-(thiazol-2-yl)ethylidene]hydrazinecarbothioamide), was shown to have anti-proliferative activity against various colon and aggressive breast cancer cell lines. In vitro studies showed that complex 1 acted as a poison inhibitor of human topoisomerase IIα, which may account for the observed anti-cancer effects.