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De Gregorio V, La Pietra A, Candela A, Oliviero C, Ferrandino I, Tesauro D. Insight on cytotoxic NHC gold(I) halide complexes evaluated in multifaceted culture systems. Curr Res Toxicol 2024; 6:100174. [PMID: 38841651 PMCID: PMC11152893 DOI: 10.1016/j.crtox.2024.100174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Gold complexes can be a useful system in the fight against cancer. Although many studies have been carried out on in vitro 2D cell culture models embryotoxic assays are particularly lacking. Embryotoxicity and DNA damage are critical concerns in drug development. In this study, the effects of a new N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-Au compound (Bromo[1,3-di-4-methoxybenzyl-4,5-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene]gold(I)) at different concentrations were explored using multifaceted approach, encompassing 2D cancer cell cultures, in vivo zebrafish and in vitro bovine models, and compared with a consolidated similar complex (Bromo[1,3-diethyl-4,5-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene]gold(I)). The results obtained from 2D cancer cell cultures revealed concentration-dependent effects of the gold compounds by estimating the cytotoxicity with MTT assay and cellular damage as indicated by LDH release. Selected concentrations of gold complexes demonstrated no adverse effects on zebrafish embryo development. However, in bovine embryos, these same concentrations led to significant impairments in the early developmental stages, triggering cell apoptosis and reducing blastocyst competence. These findings underscore the importance of evaluating drug effects across different model systems to comprehensively assess their safety and potential impact on embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenza De Gregorio
- Department of Biology University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Cinthia 80126, Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandra La Pietra
- Department of Biology University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Cinthia 80126, Napoli, Italy
| | - Andrea Candela
- Department of Biology University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Cinthia 80126, Napoli, Italy
| | - Carlo Oliviero
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Biotechnology, Medical Histology and Molecular Biology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Ida Ferrandino
- Department of Biology University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Cinthia 80126, Napoli, Italy
| | - Diego Tesauro
- Department of Pharmacy and Interuniversity Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB), University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
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Bernabeu De Maria M, Matczuk M, Tesauro D, Saviano M, Sikorski J, Chiappetta G, Godin S, Szpunar J, Lobinski R, Ronga L. Study of metalation of thioredoxin by gold(I) therapeutic compounds using combined liquid chromatography/capillary electrophoresis with inductively coupled plasma/electrospray MS/MS detection. Anal Bioanal Chem 2024; 416:2819-2833. [PMID: 38244050 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-024-05140-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
The reactivity of thioredoxin (Trx1) with the Au(I) drug auranofin (AF) and two therapeutic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)2-Au(I) complexes (bis [1-methyl-3-acridineimidazolin-2-ylidene]gold(I) tetrafluoroborate (Au3BC) and [1,3-diethyl-4,5-bis(4methoxyphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene]gold(I) (Au4BC)) was investigated. Direct infusion (DI) electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry (MS) allowed information on the structure, stoichiometry, and kinetics of formation of Trx-Au adducts. The fragmentation of the formed adducts in the gas phase gave insights into the exact Au binding site within the protein, demonstrating the preference for Trx1 Cys32 or Cys35 of AF or the (NHC)2-Au(I) complex Au3BC, respectively. Reversed-phase HPLC suffered from the difficulty of elution of gold compounds, did not preserve the formed metal-protein adducts, and favored the loss of ligands (phosphine or NHC) from Au(I). These limitations were eliminated by capillary electrophoresis (CE) which enabled the separation of the gold compounds, Trx1, and the formed adducts. The ICP-MS/MS detection allowed the simultaneous quantitative monitoring of the gold and sulfur isotopes and the determination of the metallation extent of the protein. The hyphenation of the mentioned techniques was used for the analysis of Trx1-Au adducts for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikel Bernabeu De Maria
- Université de Pau Et Des Pays de L'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Institute of Analytical and Physical Chemistry for the Environment and Materials (IPREM-UMR 5254), 64053, Pau, France
| | - Magdalena Matczuk
- Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego St. 3, 00-664, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Diego Tesauro
- Department of Pharmacy and CIRPeB, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Montesano 49, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Michele Saviano
- Instituto Di Cristallografia (IC), CNR, 70126, Caserta, Italy
| | - Jacek Sikorski
- Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego St. 3, 00-664, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Giovanni Chiappetta
- Biological Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics (SMBP), ESPCI Paris, Université PSL, LPC CNRS UMR8249, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Simon Godin
- Université de Pau Et Des Pays de L'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Institute of Analytical and Physical Chemistry for the Environment and Materials (IPREM-UMR 5254), 64053, Pau, France
| | - Joanna Szpunar
- Université de Pau Et Des Pays de L'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Institute of Analytical and Physical Chemistry for the Environment and Materials (IPREM-UMR 5254), 64053, Pau, France
| | - Ryszard Lobinski
- Université de Pau Et Des Pays de L'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Institute of Analytical and Physical Chemistry for the Environment and Materials (IPREM-UMR 5254), 64053, Pau, France
- Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Noakowskiego St. 3, 00-664, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Luisa Ronga
- Université de Pau Et Des Pays de L'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Institute of Analytical and Physical Chemistry for the Environment and Materials (IPREM-UMR 5254), 64053, Pau, France.
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Zhao Q, Han B, Peng C, Zhang N, Huang W, He G, Li JL. A promising future of metal-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes in medicinal chemistry: The emerging bioorganometallic antitumor agents. Med Res Rev 2024. [PMID: 38591229 DOI: 10.1002/med.22039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Metal complexes based on N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands have emerged as promising broad-spectrum antitumor agents in bioorganometallic medicinal chemistry. In recent decades, studies on cytotoxic metal-NHC complexes have yielded numerous compounds exhibiting superior cytotoxicity compared to cisplatin. Although the molecular mechanisms of these anticancer complexes are not fully understood, some potential targets and modes of action have been identified. However, a comprehensive review of their biological mechanisms is currently absent. In general, apoptosis caused by metal-NHCs is common in tumor cells. They can cause a series of changes after entering cells, such as mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) variation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, cytochrome c (cyt c) release, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, lysosome damage, and caspase activation, ultimately leading to apoptosis. Therefore, a detailed understanding of the influence of metal-NHCs on cancer cell apoptosis is crucial. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of recent advances in metal-NHC complexes that trigger apoptotic cell death via different apoptosis-related targets or signaling pathways, including B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2 family), p53, cyt c, ER stress, lysosome damage, thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) inhibition, and so forth. We also discuss the challenges, limitations, and future directions of metal-NHC complexes to elucidate their emerging application in medicinal chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Bo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Cheng Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Department of Dermatology & Venerolog, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Gu He
- Department of Dermatology & Venerolog, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jun-Long Li
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Anti-Infective Agent Creation Engineering Research Centre of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Industrial Institute of Antibiotics, School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu, China
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Kapitza P, Scherfler A, Salcher S, Sopper S, Cziferszky M, Wurst K, Gust R. Reaction Behavior of [1,3-Diethyl-4,5-diphenyl-1 H-imidazol-2-ylidene] Containing Gold(I/III) Complexes against Ingredients of the Cell Culture Medium and the Meaning on the Potential Use for Cancer Eradication Therapy. J Med Chem 2023. [PMID: 37294951 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The reactivities of halido[1,3-diethyl-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene]gold(I) (chlorido (5), bromido (6), iodido (7)), bis[1,3-diethyl-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene]gold(I) (8), and bis[1,3-diethyl-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene]dihalidogold(III) (chlorido (9), bromido (10), iodido (11)) complexes against ingredients of the cell culture medium were analyzed by HPLC. The degradation in the RPMI 1640 medium was studied, too. Complex 6 quantitatively reacted with chloride to 5, while 7 showed additionally ligand scrambling to 8. Interactions with non-thiol containing amino acids could not be detected. However, glutathione (GSH) reacted immediately with 5 and 6 yielding the (NHC)gold(I)-GSH complex 12. The most active complex 8 was stable under in vitro conditions and strongly participated on the biological effects of 7. The gold(III) species 9-11 were completely reduced by GSH to 8 and are prodrugs. All complexes were tested for inhibitory effects in Cisplatin-resistant cells, as well as against cancer stem cell-enriched cell lines and showed excellent activity. Such compounds are of utmost interest for the therapy of drug-resistant tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Kapitza
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Center for Molecular Bioscience Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria
| | - Amelie Scherfler
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Center for Molecular Bioscience Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria
| | - Stefan Salcher
- Department of Internal Medicine V, Haematology & Oncology, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria
| | - Sieghart Sopper
- Department of Internal Medicine V, Haematology & Oncology, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria
| | - Monika Cziferszky
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Center for Molecular Bioscience Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria
| | - Klaus Wurst
- Department of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria
| | - Ronald Gust
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, Center for Molecular Bioscience Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria
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Mertens RT, Gukathasan S, Arojojoye AS, Olelewe C, Awuah SG. Next Generation Gold Drugs and Probes: Chemistry and Biomedical Applications. Chem Rev 2023; 123:6612-6667. [PMID: 37071737 PMCID: PMC10317554 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
The gold drugs, gold sodium thiomalate (Myocrisin), aurothioglucose (Solganal), and the orally administered auranofin (Ridaura), are utilized in modern medicine for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis including rheumatoid and juvenile arthritis; however, new gold agents have been slow to enter the clinic. Repurposing of auranofin in different disease indications such as cancer, parasitic, and microbial infections in the clinic has provided impetus for the development of new gold complexes for biomedical applications based on unique mechanistic insights differentiated from auranofin. Various chemical methods for the preparation of physiologically stable gold complexes and associated mechanisms have been explored in biomedicine such as therapeutics or chemical probes. In this Review, we discuss the chemistry of next generation gold drugs, which encompasses oxidation states, geometry, ligands, coordination, and organometallic compounds for infectious diseases, cancer, inflammation, and as tools for chemical biology via gold-protein interactions. We will focus on the development of gold agents in biomedicine within the past decade. The Review provides readers with an accessible overview of the utility, development, and mechanism of action of gold-based small molecules to establish context and basis for the thriving resurgence of gold in medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Tyler Mertens
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States
| | - Sailajah Gukathasan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States
| | - Adedamola S Arojojoye
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States
| | - Chibuzor Olelewe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States
| | - Samuel G Awuah
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
- University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States
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