Single-crystal X-ray, spectroscopy, quantum chemical calculations, and molecular docking investigation of ruthenium (II) polypyridyl complexes of curcumin as a potential chemotherapy drug in the treatment of malignant glioblastoma (GBM)

• Published in: Chemical papers Vol. 78; no. 3; pp. 1567 - 1583
• Main Authors: Rajee, Abdullahi O., Obaleye, Joshua A., Louis, Hitler, Aliyu, Abdulbasit A., Lawal, Amudat, Amodu, Ismail O., Timothy, Rawlings A., Ayinla, Sheriff O., Adesope, Kareemat T., Manicum, Amanda-Lee E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.02.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Affinity; Binding; Biochemistry; Biotechnology; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Crystallography; Density functional theory; Diketones; Heptadiene; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Materials Science; Mathematical analysis; Medicinal Chemistry; Molecular docking; Nitrogen atoms; Original Paper; Oxygen atoms; Quantum chemistry; Ruthenium; Single crystals; Synthesis; Ruthenium(II) complex; Curcumin; DFT; Molecular docking; Glioblastoma; Crystal structure
• ISSN: 0366-6352; 1336-9075; 2585-7290
• DOI: 10.1007/s11696-023-03184-6

Two ruthenium polypyridyl complexes of the type [Ru(N^N) 2 (curc)](PF 6 ) where curc = curcumin; [(1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione)] and N ^ N  = 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy, R1 ) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen, R2 ) were synthesized. Spectroscopic methods and elemental analyses were employed to characterize them. It was revealed by the T Single-crystal X-ray crystallography that the solid-state structure of compound R1 as the hexafluorophosphate to be triclinic with space group P-1, a  = 12.7668(4) Å, b  = 13.9159(5) Å, c  = 24.1777(8) Å, β  = 91.466(2) o , V  = 4233.1(2) Ǻ 3 , Z  = 6. Four nitrogen atoms of the polypyridyl ligands and two oxygen atoms of the β-diketone group, respectively, formed the coordinates of Ru(II) center, and in turn forming a distorted octahedral geometry. The experiments have been compared to be in agreement with the theoretical vibrational wave numbers of the synthesized compounds. Density functional theory (DFT) at the ωB97XD/gen/def2svp/LanL2DZ level of theory has been further utilized in evaluating the structural and electronic properties. Against two different GBM proteins (6bft and 6s79), the binding affinities of the studied compounds and the standard drug (temozolomide) were obtained through the in silico molecular docking approach. R1@6bft , R1@6s79 , R2@6bft and R2@6s79 reflect higher binding affinities of − 7 kcal/mol, − 10 kcal/mol, − 8 kcal/mol and − 12 kcal/mol, respectively, in comparison to the commercial drug with binding affinities of − 5 kcal/mol ( Temo@6bft ) and − 6.0 kcal/mol ( Temo@6s79 ). With the results obtained, it is evident to mention that the compounds and their derivatives could be used as a potential chemotherapeutic drug for the treatment of glioblastoma or as a precursor for the synthesis of other pharmaceutical products.