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Ruthenium hydrazone complexes with 1:1 and 1:2 metal–ligand stoichiometry: a comparison of biomolecular interactions and in vitro cytotoxicities

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Abstract

Two ruthenium(II) complexes [RuIICl(PPh3)2(L)] (1) and [RuII(L)2] (2) were synthesized by reacting [RuCl2(PPh3)3] and thiophene-2-carboxylic acid (1-pyridine-2-yl-ethylidene)-hydrazide (HL) in methanol–chloroform, and characterized by elemental analysis and spectral and XRD data. The ratio of ligand to metal is 1:1 in the former complex and 2:1 in the latter. Interaction of these complexes with CT-DNA was studied using absorption and emission spectral studies; these show that both the complexes interact with CT-DNA through intercalative modes of interaction. Their BSA-binding activity results indicated the operation of static quenching mechanism and stronger binding of tryptophan residues than tyrosine residues. In vitro cytotoxicity assays against HeLa and MCF-7 cell lines showed better activity of both the complexes compared to the standard drug cisplatin. Overall, the activity of complex 2 with two units of coordinated ligand showed better activity than the other one.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge University Grants Commission (UGC) for the award of Basic Scientific Research fellowship to one of the authors (S. N) (Grant No. F.25-1/2014-15(BSR)7-26/2007/(BSR); dt: 05.11.2015).

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, 641049, India

    Jayanthi Eswaran

  2. Inorganic Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, 641046, India

    Neethu K. Sankar & Kaveri M. Velusamy

  3. Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Nattamai S. P. Bhuvanesh

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Eswaran, J., Sankar, N.K., Bhuvanesh, N.S.P. et al. Ruthenium hydrazone complexes with 1:1 and 1:2 metal–ligand stoichiometry: a comparison of biomolecular interactions and in vitro cytotoxicities. Transit Met Chem 44, 369–382 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11243-018-00303-1

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