Metal(triphenylphosphine)-atovaquone Complexes: Synthesis, Antimalarial Activity, and Suppression of Heme Detoxification.

To ascertain the bioinorganic chemistry of metals conjugated with quinones, the complexes [Ag(ATV)(PPh)] (), [Au(ATV)(PPh)]·2HO (), and [Cu(ATV)(PPh)] () were synthesized by the coordination of the antimalarial naphthoquinone atovaquone (ATV) to the starting materials [Ag(PPh]NO, [Au(PPh)Cl], and [Cu(PPh)NO], respectively. These complexes were characterized by analytical and spectroscopical techniques. X-ray diffraction of single crystals precisely confirmed the coordination mode of ATV to the metals, which was monodentate or bidentate, depending on the metal center.

Novel gold(I) complexes with 5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thione and phosphine as potential anticancer and antileishmanial agents.

The current anticancer and antileishmanial drug arsenal presents several limitations concerning their specificity, efficacy, costs and the emergence of drug-resistant cells lines, which encourages the urgent need to search for new alternatives. Inspired by the fact that gold(I)-based compounds are promising antitumoral and antileishmanial drug candidates, we synthesized novel gold(I) complexes containing phosphine and 5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thione and evaluated their anticancer and antileishmanial activities. Synthesis was performed by reacting 5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thione derivatives with chloro(triphenylphosphine)gold(I) and chloro(triethylphosphine)gold(I).