Au(iii)-Proline derivatives exhibiting selective antiproliferative activity against HepG2/SB3 apoptosis-resistant cancer cells

This paper deals with the combination of a proline-based moiety with biologically active gold centers in the oxidation states +1 and +3. In particular, six Au(i)/(iii)-proline dithiocarbamato (DTC) complexes with general formulae [Au(DTC)₂] and [Au^IIIX₂(DTC)] (X = Cl, Br) are reported here. After the synthesis of the ligand and the complexes, all derivatives were characterized via several techniques and tested for their stability in DMSO/water media. This study was focused on the demonstration of a peculiar behavior of Au(iii)-DTC species in solution. Finally, the complexes were screened for their antiproliferative activity against 2 human cancer cell lines, namely HepG2 and HepG2/SB3, taken as models of hepatocellular carcinoma. The latter, chosen for its aggressiveness due to the upregulation of the anti-apoptotic protein SerpinB3, was selectively inhibited in terms of growth by some Au(iii)-DTC complexes.

Synthesis, chemical characterization and cancer cell growth-inhibitory activities of Cu(ii) and Ru(iii) aliphatic and aromatic dithiocarbamato complexes

The effects mediated by different cyclic dithiocarbamic ligands on three classes of antiproliferative coordination compounds were studied.

Gold complexes as prospective metal-based anticancer drugs

Medical and therapeutic value of gold has been recognized thousands of years ago, but its rational use in medicine has not begun until the early 1920s. Cisplatin is one of the first metal-containing compounds with anti-cancer activity discovered in the 1960s. Despite the fact that cisplatin treatment is efficient for several types of solid tumors, its effectiveness is limited by toxic side effects and tumor resistance that often leads to the occurrence of secondary malignancies. Since gold(III) is isoelectronic with platinum(II) and tetracoordinate gold(III) complexes have the same square-planar geometries as cisplatin, the anticancer activity of gold(III) compounds has been investigated. Previous studies suggested that, in contrast to cisplatin, gold complexes target proteins but not DNA. Recently, we have investigated gold(III) dithiocarbamates for their anticancer activity and showed that their primary target is the proteasome. Treatment of human breast tumor-bearing nude mice with a gold(III) dithiocarbamate complex resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth, associated with proteasome inhibition and massive apoptosis induction in vivo. Better understanding of physiological processing of gold compounds will provide a rational basis for their further development into novel anticancer drugs.

Mixed complexes of Pt(II) and Pd(II) with ethylsarcosinedithiocarbamate and 2-/3-picoline as antitumor agents

The [M(ESDT)Cl](n) (M=Pt(II), Pd(II); ESDT=EtO(O)CCH(2)N(CH(3))CS(2)(-), ethylsarcosinedithiocarbamate ion) species have been reacted with 2- or 3-picoline in dichloromethane in order to obtain mixed ligand complexes of the type [M(ESDT)(L)Cl] (L=2-picoline, 3-picoline). The synthesized compounds have been isolated, purified and characterized by means of elemental analyses, (1)H-/(13)C-/(1)H(13)C-HMBC (heteronuclear multiple bonding coherence) NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. The biological activity of the compounds reported here has been then determined in terms of cell growth inhibition, DNA synthesis inhibition, detection of interstrand cross-links and DNA-protein cross-links, and micronuclei (MN) detection on a panel of tumor cell lines both sensitive and resistant to cisplatin. On the basis of the experimental results, coordination in the above mentioned complexes takes place in a near square-planar geometry, the dithiocarbamate moiety acting as a chelating agent, whereas the two remaining coordination sites are occupied by a chlorine atom and an amino ligand. Above all, [Pt(ESDT)(2-picoline)Cl] complex has shown very encouraging cytotoxicity levels higher or, at least, comparable to those exerted by cisplatin in the same experimental conditions.

Characterization studies and cytotoxicity assays of Pt(II) and Pd(II) dithiocarbamate complexes by means of FT-IR, NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry

The precursors [M(ESDTM)Cl(2)] (M=Pt(II), Pd(II); ESDTM=EtO(2)CCH(2)(CH(3))NCS(2)Me, S-methyl(ethylsarcosinedithiocarbamate)) were synthesized as previously reported [J. Inorg. Biochem. 83 (2001) 31] and used to obtain [M(ESDT)Cl](n) (ESDT=ethylsarcosinedithiocarbamate anion) species. The complexes formed through reaction between [M(ESDT)Cl](n) and the two chiral amino-alcohols synephryne (Syn) and norphenylephrine (Nor) have been synthesized, with the ultimate goal of preparing mixed dithiocarbamate/amino metal complexes of the type [M(ESDT)(Am)Cl] (Am=Syn, Nor). These compounds have been isolated, purified and characterized by means of FT-IR, mono- and bidimensional NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry ESI/MS (electronspray mass spectra). The experimental data suggest that in all cases coordination of the dithiocarbamate ligand (ESDT) takes a place through the two sulfur atoms, the -NCSS moiety acting as a symmetrical bidentate chelating group, in a square-planar geometry around the M(II) ion, while the other two coordination positions are occupied by the chlorine atom and the amino-alcohol ligand, respectively. In particular, synephrine and norphenylephrine appear to be bound to the metal atom through the amino nitrogen atom by means of a dative bond. Finally, the biological activity of the new complexes has been studied by MTT (tetrazolio salt reduction) test and by detecting the inhibition of DNA synthesis and of clonal growth in various cancer cell lines. All Pd(II) derivatives showed a noticeable activity very close to that of cisplatin, used as reference drug. Moreover, they showed significantly reduced cross-resistance to cisplatin in a pair of cell lines (2008/C13*) with known acquired cisplatin resistance mechanisms.

Pt(II) and Pd(II) derivatives of ter-butylsarcosinedithiocarbamate. Synthesis, chemical and biological characterization and in vitro nephrotoxicity

This work reports on the synthesis, characterization and biological activity of new coordination compounds of the type [M(TSDTM)X(2)] (M=Pt(II), Pd(II); X=Cl, Br; TSDTM=ter-butylsarcosine(S-methyl)dithiocarbamate) and [Pd(TSDT)X](n) (TSDT=ter-butylsarcosinedithiocarbamate) in order to study their behavior as potential antitumor agents. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by means of elemental analysis, FT-IR, (1)H and (13)C-NMR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, suggesting a chelate S,S' structure of the TSDTM/TSDT ligand in a square-planar geometry. Finally, the synthesized complexes have been tested for in vitro cytotoxic activity against human leukemic HL60 and adenocarcinoma HeLa cells; the most active compound [Pt(TSDTM)Br(2)], characterized by IC(50) values very similar to those of the reference compound (cisplatin), was also tested for in vitro nephrotoxicity showing a very low renal cytotoxicity as compared to cisplatin itself.

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro cytotoxicity of new organotin(IV) derivatives of N-methylglycine

The synthesis and characterization of new coordination compounds of some diorganotins(IV) with N-methylglycine (sarcosine) are reported; all these derivatives mainly tend to assume a chelate structure. As single crystals were not obtained, a large number of experimental techniques were used to accomplish a definitive characterization and determination of their structure. Results obtained by (1)H/(119)Sn NMR, FT-IR and (119)mSn-Mössbauer spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis allow us to deduce the pentacoordination for 1:1 (Sn/sarcosine) derivatives [R(2)SnCl(2)(Sar)](+)Cl(-) (R=Me, n-Bu) in a trigonal-bipyramidal structure, and the hexacoordination for 1:2 complexes [R'(2)Sn(Sar)(2)](2+)2Cl(-) (R'=Me, n-Bu, Ph) in an octahedral structure; however, the probability of partially or totally non-chelate structures for some adducts increases with the steric hindrance of the R/R' groups and the number of the sarcosine molecules bound to the tin atom, so that they give rise to fluxional equilibria in solution. Finally, the synthesized compounds have been tested for in vitro cytotoxic activity against human adenocarcinoma HeLa cells showing, in some cases, strong activity even at low concentration.

Synthesis of a new platinum(II) complex: anticancer activity and nephrotoxicity in vitro

New mixed dithiocarbamate-amino Pt(II) complex ([Pt(ESDT)(Py)Cl]) has been recently synthesised with the aim to produce potential anticancer drug able to conjugate cytostatic activity with lack of nephrotoxicity. This complex contains: (1) an amino ligand; (2) a good leaving group (halide); and (3) an S-containing chelating agent potentially able to protect the metal centre from its interaction with S-containing protein-legating sites that are believed to be at the basis of the nephrotoxicity of Pt(II)-based drugs. This complex has been found to be effective as an antiproliferative agent (more active than cis-platin) towards a normal human adenocarcinoma cell line and the corresponding cis-platin-resistant C13 strain. Toxicity tests on the kidney were performed by means of a renal cortical slice model. The slices, prepared with a Brendel-Vitron slicer, were incubated with different doses (0.125-5.0 x 10(-4) M, final concentration) of [Pt(ESDT)(Py)Cl] or cis-platin dissolved in methyl sulphoxide. The platinum(II) complex showed very low renal cytotoxicity as compared with cis-platin; in particular, lipid peroxidation induced by cis-platin appeared about five-fold higher than that induced by [Pt(ESDT)(Py)Cl]. In conclusion, besides being less toxic for the kidney, the results showed that the new synthesised platinum(II) complex appeared in vitro more effective than cis-platin when tested on sensitive and resistant cis-platin tumour cell lines.

Platinum(II) and palladium(II) complexes with dithiocarbamates and amines: synthesis, characterization and cell assay

The [M(ESDT)Cl]n (M = Pd or Pt; ESDT = EtO2CCH2(CH3)NCS2, methylamino-acetic acid ethyl ester-dithiocarboxylate) species have been reacted with various amines (py, pyridine; PrNH2, n-propylamine; c-BuNH2, cyclobutylamine; en, ethylenediamine) in dichloromethane or chloroform with the aim to obtain mixed ligand complexes. The neutral complexes [M(ESDT)(L)Cl] (L = py, PrNH2 or c-BuNH2) and the ionic species ([M(ESDT)(L)2]Cl and [M(ESDT)(En)]Cl) have been isolated, and characterized by IR and proton NMR spectroscopies. The crystal structure of [Pd(ESDT)(PrNH2)Cl] has been determined by X-ray crystallography. The behaviour of the complexes in various solvents was described on the basis of the proton NMR spectra. The complexes and the dithiocarbamato intermediates have been tested for in vitro cytostatic activity against human leukemic HL-60 and HeLa cells.