Jo’ Del Gobbo / Chemistry & Biochemistry / Faculty Mentor: Rasika Dias
The β-diketone scaffold, which is present in curcumin and its derivatives, has become a subject of interest for its potential anticancer properties, resulting in numerous investigations into related metal complexes. Platinum(II) complexes with β-diketonate ligands displayed controlled toxic effects, with phenyl ring substituents increasing lipophilicity and cellular uptake, and CF3 groups hastening hydrolysis rates in aqueous solutions. However, there is limited research concerning the anticancer efficacy of homoleptic first-row transition metal complexes utilizing β-diketonate ligands, aside from specific Cu(II) derivatives, and analogous heteroleptic complexes such as Casiopeinas®-like compounds. Furthermore, copper(I)- and silver(I)-based anticancer complexes supported by β-diketonate ligands remain an unexplored research field. As part of our ongoing investigation into the chemical and biological properties of metal-based coordination compounds, we present herein a study on the synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation of novel homoleptic ([ML2]; M = Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II)) and heteroleptic ([ML(PR3)n]; M = Cu(I) or Ag(I); PR3 = PR3 or PTA; n = 1 or 2) metal complexes supported by sterically demanding β-diketonate ligands: 1,3-dimesitylpropane-1,3-dione (HLMes) and 1,3-bis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-3-hydroxyprop-2-en-1-one (HLCF3). We evaluated the antitumor efficacy of these complexes against various human tumor cell lines from diverse solid tumors, demonstrating notable efficacy, even towards cisplatin-resistant cells.
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