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  • Methyl-cyclopentadienyl ruthenium compounds with 2,2 '-bipyridine derivatives display strong anticancer activity and multidrug resistance potential
    Publication . Côrte-Real, Leonor; Gonçalves Teixeira, Ricardo; Girio, Patrícia; Comsa, Elisabeta; MORENO, Alexis; Nasr, Rachad; Baubichon-Cortay, Helene; Avecilla, Fernando; Marques, Fernanda; Robalo, Maria Paula; Mendes, Paulo; Prates Ramalho, João P.; Garcia; Falson, Pierre; Valente, Andreia
    New ruthenium methyl-cyclopentadienyl compounds bearing bipyridine derivatives with the general formula [Ru(eta(5)-MeCp)(PPh3)(4,4'-R-2,2'-bpy)](+) (Ru1, R = H; Ru2, R = CH3; and Ru3, R = CH2OH) have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and analytical techniques. Ru1 crystallized in the monoclinic P2(1)/c, Ru2 in the triclinic P (1) over bar, and Ru3 in the monoclinic P2(1)/n space group. In all molecular structures, the ruthenium center adopts a "piano stool" distribution. Density functional theory calculations were performed for all complexes, and the results support spectroscopic data. Ru1 and Ru3 were poor substrates of the main multidrug resistance human pumps, ABCB1, ABCG2, ABCC1, and ABCC2, while Ru2 displayed inhibitory properties of ABCC1 and ABCC2 pumps. Importantly, all compounds displayed a very high cytotoxic profile for ovarian cancer cells (sensitive and resistant) that was much more pronounced than that observed with cisplatin, making them very promising anticancer agents.
  • Ru-II(p‑cymene) compounds as effective and selective anticancer candidates with no toxicity in vivo
    Publication . Lenis-Rojas, Oscar A.; Robalo, Maria Paula; Tomaz, Ana Isabel; Carvalho, Andreia; Fernandes, Alexandra; Marques, Fernanda; FOLGUEIRA, MONICA; Yáñez, Julián; Vázquez-García, Digna; López-Torres, Margarita; Fernandez, Alberto; Fernandez, Jesus J.
    Ruthenium(II) complexes are currently considered a viable alternative to the widely used platinum complexes as efficient anticancer agents. We herein present the synthesis and characterization of half-sandwich ruthenium compounds with the general formula [Ru(p-cymene)(L-N,N)Cl][CF3SO3] (L = 3,6-di-2-pyridyl-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (1) 6,7-dimethyl-2,3-bis(pyridin-2-yl)quinoxaline (2)), which have been synthesized by substitution reactions from the precursor dimer [Ru(p-cymene)(Cl)(μ-Cl)]2 and were characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, 1H NMR, UV–vis, and IR spectroscopy, conductivity measurements, and cyclic voltammetry. The molecular structure for complex 2 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The cytotoxic activity of these compounds was evaluated against human tumor cells, namely ovarian carcinoma A2780 and breast MCF7 and MDAMB231 adenocarcinoma cells, and against normal primary fibroblasts. Whereas the cytotoxic activity of 1 is moderate, IC50 values found for 2 are among the lowest previously reported for Ru(p-cymene) complexes. Both compounds present no cytotoxic effect in normal human primary fibroblasts when they are used at the IC50 concentration in A2780 and MCF7 cancer cells. Their antiproliferative capacity is associated with a combined mechanism of apoptosis and autophagy. A strong interaction with DNA was observed for both with a binding constant value of the same magnitude as that of the classical intercalator [Ru(phen)2(dppz)]2+. Both complexes bind to human serum albumin with moderate to strong affinity, with conditional binding constants (log Kb) of 4.88 for complex 2 and 5.18 for complex 1 in 2% DMSO/10 mM Hepes pH7.0 medium. The acute toxicity was evaluated in zebrafish embryo model using the fish embryo acute toxicity test (FET). Remarkably, our results show that compounds 1 and 2 are not toxic/lethal even at extremely high concentrations. The novel compounds reported herein are highly relevant antitumor metallodrug candidates, given their in vitro cytotoxicity toward cancer cells and the lack of in vivo toxicity.
  • Half-sandwich Ru(p-cymene) compounds with diphosphanes: In Vitro and In Vivo evaluation as potential anticancer metallodrugs
    Publication . Lenis Rojas, Oscar; Robalo, M. Paula; Tomaz, Ana Isabel; Fernandes, Alexandra; Roma-Rodrigues, Catarina; Gonçalves Teixeira, Ricardo; Marques, Fernanda; FOLGUEIRA, MONICA; Yáñez, Julián; Alba-González, Anabel; Salamini-Montemurri, Martin; Pech-Puch, Dawrin; Vázquez-García, Digna; López-Torres, Margarita; Fernandez, Alberto; Fernandez, Jesus J.
    Ruthenium(II) complexes are currently considered attractive alternatives to the widely used platinum-based drugs. We present herein the synthesis and characterization of half-sandwich ruthenium compounds formulated as [Ru(p-cymene)(L)Cl]-[CF3SO3] (L = 1,1-bis(methylenediphenylphosphano)ethylene, 1; L = 1,1-bis(diphenylphosphano)ethylene, 2), which were characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, H-1 and P-31{H-1} NMR, UV-vis and IR spectroscopy, conductivity measurements and cyclic voltammetry. The molecular structures for both complexes were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Their cytotoxic activity was evaluated using the MTT assay against human tumor cells, namely ovarian (A2780) and breast (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231). Both complexes were active against breast adenocarcinoma cells, with complex 1 exhibiting a quite remarkable cytotoxicity in the submicromolar range. Interestingly, at concentrations equivalent to the IC50 values in the MCF7 cancer cells, complexes 1 and 2 presented lower cytotoxicity in normal human primary fibroblasts. The antiproliferative effects of 1 and 2 in MCF7 cells might be associated with the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to a combined cell death mechanism via apoptosis and autophagy. Despite the fact that in vitro a partial intercalation between complexes and DNA was observed, no MCF7 cell cycle delay or arrest was observed, indicating that DNA might not be a direct target. Complexes 1 and 2 both exhibited a moderate to strong interaction with human serum albumin, suggesting that protein targets may be involved in their mode of action. Their acute toxicity was evaluated in the zebrafish model. Complex 1 (the most toxic of the two) exhibited a lethal toxicity LC50 value about 1 order of magnitude higher than any IC50 concentrations found for the cancer cell models used, highlighting its therapeutic relevance as a drug candidate in cancer chemotherapy.
  • Novel "ruthenium cyclopentadienyl" - peptide conjugate complexes against human FGFR(+) breast cancer
    Publication . Machado, João Franco; Machuqueiro, Miguel; Marques, Fernanda; Robalo, M. Paula; Piedade, M. Fatima M.; Garcia, M. Helena; Correia, João D. G.; Morais, Tânia
    In this work we explored the possibility of improving the selectivity of a cytotoxic Ru complex [RuCp(PPh3)(2,2'-bipy)][CF3SO3] (where Cp = eta(5)-cyclopentadienyl) TM34 towards FGFR(+) breast cancer cells. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of TM34 in a phosphatidylcholine membrane model pinpointed the cyclopentadienyl group as a favorable derivatization position for the peptide conjugation approach. Three new Ru(II) complexes presenting a functionalized eta(5)-cyclopentadienyl were synthesized, namely [Ru(eta(5)-C5H4COOH)(2,2'-bipy)(PPh3][CF3SO3] (TM281) and its precursors, [Ru(eta(5)-C5H4COOCH2CH3)(eta(2)-2,2'-bipy)(PPh3)][CF3SO3] (3) and [Ru(eta(5)-C5H4COOCH2CH3)(PPh3)(2)Cl] (2). Complex TM281 was prepared by the hydrolysis of the ethyl ester group appended to the eta(5)-cyclopentadienyl ligand of complex 3 with K2CO3 in water/acetonitrile, followed by mild protonation using an ion exchange resin. The newly synthesized complexes were fully characterized by NMR, FTIR and UV-vis spectroscopic techniques. Also, electrochemical studies were carried out by means of cyclic voltammetry in order to evaluate the stability of the compounds. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies were carried out for compounds 3 and TM281 which crystallized in the monoclinic system, space group P21/n. The unprecedented synthesis and characterization of three half-sandwich ruthenium(II)-cyclopentadienyl peptide conjugates and their preliminary biological evaluation against human FGFR(+) and FGFR(-) breast cancer cells are also reported.
  • Design and anticancer properties of new water-soluble ruthenium–cyclopentadienyl complexes
    Publication . Morais, Tânia; Marques, Fernanda; Madeira, Paulo J. Amorim; Robalo, M.P.; Garcia, Maria Helena
    Ruthenium complexes are emerging as one of the most promising classes of complexes for cancer therapy. However, their limited aqueous solubility may be the major limitation to their potential clinical application. In view and to contribute to the progress of this field, eight new water-soluble Ru(II) organometallic complexes of general formula [RuCp(mTPPMS)n(L)] [CF3SO3], where mTPPMS = diphenylphosphane-benzene-3-sulfonate, for n = 2, L is an imidazole-based ligand (imidazole, 1-benzylimidazole, 1-butylimidazole, (1-(3 aminopropyl)imidazole), and (1-(4-methoxyphenyl)imidazole)), and for n = 1, L is a bidentate heteroaromatic ligand (2-benzoylpyridine, (di(2-pyridyl)ketone), and (1,2-(2-pyridyl)benzo-[b]thiophene)) were synthesized and characterized. The new complexes were fully characterized by NMR, FT-IR, UV–vis., ESI-HRMS, and cyclic voltammetry, which confirmed all the proposed molecular structures. The antiproliferative potential of the new Ru(II) complexes was evaluated on MDAMB231 breast adenocarcinoma, A2780 ovarian carcinoma, and HT29 colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines, showing micromolar (MDAMB231 and HT29) and submicromolar (A2780) IC50 values. The interaction of complex 6 with human serum albumin (HSA) and fatty-acid-free human serum albumin (HSAfaf) was evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy techniques, and the results revealed that the ruthenium complex strongly quenches the intrinsic fluorescence of albumin in both cases.
  • Ruthenium carboranyl complexes with 2,2 '-bipyridine derivatives for potential bimodal therapy application
    Publication . Gonçalves Teixeira, Ricardo; Marques, Fernanda; Robalo, M. Paula; Fontrodona, Xavier; Garcia, M. Helena; Geninatti Crich, Simonetta; Vinas, Clara; Valente, Andreia
    Ruthenium complexes of carboranyl ligands offer the possibility of dual action (chemo + radiotherapy) that might result in significant clinical benefits. In that frame, we describe herein the development of ruthenium-carboranyl complexes bearing bipyridyl derivatives with the general formula [3-CO-3,3-{kappa(2)-4,4 '-R-2-2,2 '-bipy}-closo-3,1,2-RuC2B9H11] (R = CH3,RuCB1or R = CH2OH,RuCB2). Both compounds crystallized in the monoclinic system, showing the expected three-legged piano stool structure. The ruthenacarboranes are stable in cell culture media and were tested against two cell lines that have shown favorable clinical responses with BNCT, namely melanoma (A375) and glioblastoma (U87).RuCB1shows no cytotoxic activity up to 100 mu M whileRuCB2showed moderate activity for both cell lines. Cell distribution assays showed thatRuCB2presents high boron internalization that is proportional to the concentration used indicating thatRuCB2presents features to be further studied as a potential anticancer bimodal agent (chemo + radiotherapy).