Anticancer activity of new organo-ruthenium, rhodium and iridium complexes containing the 2-(pyridine-2-yl)thiazole N,N-chelating ligand

• Published in: Journal of organometallic chemistry Vol. 695; no. 8; pp. 1119 - 1125
• Main Authors: Gras, Michaël, Therrien, Bruno, Süss-Fink, Georg, Casini, Angela, Edafe, Fabio, Dyson, Paul J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.04.2010
• Subjects: Anticancer agents; Arene ligands; Bioorganometallic; Iridium; Rhodium; Ruthenium; Ruthenium; Iridium; Anticancer agents; Rhodium; Arene ligands; Bioorganometallic
• ISSN: 0022-328X; 1872-8561
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jorganchem.2010.01.020

New half-sandwich complexes of ruthenium, rhodium and iridium containing the 2-(pyridine-2-yl)thiazole N,N-chelating ligand display, despite strong interactions with DNA, only modest cytotoxicity towards human ovarian cancer cells. The dinuclear dichloro complexes [(η 6-arene) 2Ru 2(μ-Cl) 2Cl 2] and [(η 5-C 5Me 5) 2M 2(μ-Cl) 2Cl 2] react with 2-(pyridine-2-yl)thiazole (pyTz) to afford the cationic complexes [(η 6-arene)Ru(pyTz)Cl] + (arene = C 6H 6 1, p- i PrC 6H 4Me 2 or C 6Me 6 3) and [(η 5-C 5Me 5)M(pyTz)Cl] + (M = Rh 4 or Ir 5), isolated as the chloride salts. The reaction of 2 and 3 with SnCl 2 leads to the dinuclear heterometallic trichlorostannyl derivatives [(η 6- p- i PrC 6H 4Me)Ru(pyTz)(SnCl 3)] + ( 6) and [(η 6-C 6Me 6)Ru(pyTz)(SnCl 3)] + ( 7), respectively, also isolated as the chloride salts. The molecular structures of 4, 5 and 7 have been established by single-crystal X-ray structure analyses of the corresponding hexafluorophosphate salts. The in vitro anticancer activities of the metal complexes on human ovarian cancer cell lines A2780 and A2780cisR (cisplatin-resistant), as well as their interactions with plasmid DNA and the model protein ubiquitin, have been investigated.