Metal Complexes as DNA Synthesis and/or Repair Inhibitors: Anticancer and Antimicrobial Agents

Medicinal inorganic chemistry involving the utilization of metal-based compounds as therapeutics has become a field showing distinct promise. DNA and RNA are ideal drug targets for therapeutic intervention in the case of various diseases, such as cancer and microbial infection. Metals play a vital role in medicine, with at least 10 metals known to be essential for human life and a further 46 nonessential metals having been involved in drug therapies and diagnosis. These metal-based complexes interact with DNA in various ways, and are often delivered as prodrugs which undergo activation in vivo. Metal complexes cause DNA crosslinking, leading to the inhibition of DNA synthesis and repair. In this review, the various interactions of metal complexes with DNA nucleic acids, as well as the underlying mechanism of action, were highlighted. Furthermore, we also discussed various tools used to investigate the interaction between metal complexes and the DNA. The tools included in vitro techniques such as spectroscopy and electrophoresis, and in silico studies such as protein docking and density-functional theory that are highlighted for preclinical development.

Vanadium coordination compounds loaded on graphene quantum dots (GQDs) exhibit improved pharmaceutical properties and enhanced anti-diabetic effects

Vanadium compounds are promising anti-diabetic agents, and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are emerging as potential drug delivery systems to improve drug solubility in water and membrane transport. Using highly dispersible and water-soluble GQDs, we herein prepared a novel GQD-VO (p-dmada) complex, in which vanadium coordination compounds [VO(p-dmada)] were packed closely on one side of the GQD sheets possibly via the π-π stacking mechanism. The in vitro tests showed that GQD-VO(p-dmada) exhibited membrane permeability (Papp) as good as that of GQDs with reduced cytotoxicity. In vivo tests on type 2 diabetic mice demonstrated that GQD-VO(p-dmada) exhibited a delayed glucose lowering profile but more profound effects on insulin enhancement and β-cell protection after three-week treatment compared to VO(p-dmada) alone. In addition, GQD alone was observed for the first time to effectively lower the blood lipid levels of the db/db mice. Overall, GQD-VO(p-dmada) showed improved pharmacokinetic performance and hypoglycemic effects, and using GQD as a nanoplatform for drug delivery may provide vast opportunities for the further design of metal-based pharmaceutical agents.

Arsenic trioxide preferentially binds to the ring finger protein PML: understanding target selection of the drug

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is used in the clinic for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia by targeting the protein PML. However, many zinc-finger proteins could also be reactive to arsenic in cells. Here we found that ATO preferentially binds to the ring-finger domain of PML in a protein mixture with zinc-finger domains. These results provide the molecular basis of the target selection of ATO in cells.