Chemotherapeutic Potential of Chlorambucil-Platinum(IV) Prodrugs against Cisplatin-Resistant Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Chlorambucil-platinum(IV) prodrugs exhibit multi-mechanistic chemotherapeutic activity with promising anticancer potential. The platinum(II) precursors of the prodrugs have been previously found to induce changes in the microtubule cytoskeleton, specifically actin and tubulin of HT29 colon cells, while chlorambucil alkylates the DNA. These prodrugs demonstrate significant anticancer activity in 2D cell and 3D spheroid viability assays.

Anticancer Effect of PtPHEN, Pt5ME, Pt56ME and Their Platinum(IV)-Dihydroxy Derivatives against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and Cisplatin-Resistant Colorectal Cancer.

Development of resistance to cisplatin, oxaliplatin and carboplatin remains a challenge for their use as chemotherapies, particularly in breast and colorectal cancer. Here, we compare the anticancer effect of novel complexes [Pt(1,10-phenanthroline)(1,2-diaminocyclohexane)](NO) (), [Pt(5-methyl-1,10-phenanthroline)(1,2-diaminocyclohexane)](NO) () and [Pt(5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)(1,2-diaminocyclohexane)](NO) () and their platinum(IV)-dihydroxy derivatives with cisplatin. Complexes are greater than 11-fold more potent than cisplatin in both 2D and 3D cell line cultures with increased selectivity for cancer cells over genetically stable cells.

Platinum(IV) Prodrugs Incorporating an Indole-Based Derivative, 5-Benzyloxyindole-3-Acetic Acid in the Axial Position Exhibit Prominent Anticancer Activity.

Kinetically inert platinum(IV) complexes are a chemical strategy to overcome the impediments of standard platinum(II) antineoplastic drugs like cisplatin, oxaliplatin and carboplatin. In this study, we reported the syntheses and structural characterisation of three platinum(IV) complexes that incorporate 5-benzyloxyindole-3-acetic acid, a bioactive ligand that integrates an indole pharmacophore. The purity and chemical structures of the resultant complexes, , and were confirmed via spectroscopic means.

Synthesis and Characterisation of Platinum(II) Diaminocyclohexane Complexes with Pyridine Derivatives as Anticancer Agents.

Cisplatin-type covalent chemotherapeutics are a cornerstone of modern medicinal oncology. However, these drugs remain encumbered with dose-limiting side effects and are susceptible to innate and acquired resistance. The bulk of platinum anticancer research has focused on Cisplatin and its derivatives.

Enhanced potency of a chloro-substituted polyaromatic platinum(II) complex and its platinum(IV) prodrug against lung cancer.

The present study investigates the anti-neoplastic activity of a platinum (II) complex, Pt(II)5ClSS, and its platinum (IV) di-hydroxido analogue, Pt(IV)5ClSS, against mesenchymal cells (MCs), lung (A549), melanoma (A375) and breast (MDA-MB-231) cancer cells. Both complexes exhibited up to 14-fold improved cytotoxicity compared to cisplatin. NMR was used to determine that ∼25 % of Pt(IV)5ClSS was reduced to Pt(II)5ClSS in the presence of GSH (Glutathione) after 72 h.

Synthesis and Characterisation of Fluorescent Novel Pt(II) Cyclometallated Complexes with Anticancer Activity.

Cancer poses a significant threat to global health and new treatments are required to improve the prognosis for patients. Previously, unconventional platinum complexes designed to incorporate polypyridyl ligands paired with diaminocyclohexane have demonstrated anticancer activity in KRAS mutated cells, previously thought to be undruggable and have cytotoxicity values up to 100 times better than cisplatin. In this work, these complexes were used as inspiration to design six novel cyclometallated examples, whose fluorescence could be exploited to better understand the mechanism of action of these kinds of platinum drugs.

Versatile Platinum(IV) Prodrugs of Naproxen and Acemetacin as Chemo-Anti-Inflammatory Agents.

Developing new and versatile platinum(IV) complexes that incorporate bioactive moieties is a rapidly evolving research strategy for cancer drug discovery. In this study, six platinum(IV) complexes (-) that are mono-substituted in the axial position with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory molecule, naproxen or acemetacin, were synthesised. A combination of spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques confirmed the composition and homogeneity of -.

Novel Platinum(II) and Platinum(IV) Antitumor Agents that Exhibit Potent Cytotoxicity and Selectivity.

A novel platinum(II) complex and its platinum(IV) derivative were synthesized and characterized. Cytotoxicity studies against mesenchymal cells (MCs) and lung (A549), breast (MDA-MB-231), and melanoma (A375) cancer cells demonstrated 7-20-fold superior activity for both complexes relative to cisplatin. Remarkably, demonstrated 17-22-fold greater selectivity toward the cancerous cells compared to the non-cancerous MCs.

Bioactive Platinum(IV) Complexes Incorporating Halogenated Phenylacetates.

A new series of cytotoxic platinum(IV) complexes (-) incorporating halogenated phenylacetic acid derivatives (4-chlorophenylacetic acid, 4-fluorophenylacetic acid, 4-bromophenylacetic acid and 4-iodophenylacetic acid) were synthesised and characterised using spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques. Complexes - were assessed on a panel of cell lines including HT29 colon, U87 glioblastoma, MCF-7 breast, A2780 ovarian, H460 lung, A431 skin, Du145 prostate, BE2-C neuroblastoma, SJ-G2 glioblastoma, MIA pancreas, the ADDP-resistant ovarian variant, and the non-tumour-derived MCF10A breast line. The in vitro cytotoxicity results confirmed the superior biological activity of the studied complexes, especially those containing 4-fluorophenylacetic acid and 4-bromophenylacetic acid ligands, namely and , eliciting an average GI value of 20 nM over the range of cell lines tested.

Potent Chlorambucil-Platinum(IV) Prodrugs.

The DNA-alkylating derivative chlorambucil was coordinated in the axial position to atypical cytotoxic, heterocyclic, and non-DNA coordinating platinum(IV) complexes of type, (where H is 1,10-phenanthroline, 5-methyl-1,10-phenanthroline or 5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, A is 1,2-diaminocyclohexane). The resultant platinum(IV)-chlorambucil prodrugs, , , and , were characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet-visible, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The prodrugs displayed remarkable antitumor potential across multiple human cancer cell lines compared to chlorambucil, cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and carboplatin, as well as their platinum(II) precursors, , , and .

Novel Planar Pt(II) Cyclometallated Cytotoxic Complexes with G-Quadruplex Stabilisation and Luminescent Properties.

Herein is described the development of a series of novel quadruplex DNA (QDNA)-stabilising cyclometallated square-planar metal complexes (CMCs). Melting experiments using quadruplex DNA (QDNA) demonstrated that interactions with the complexes increased the melting temperature by up to 19 °C. This QDNA stabilisation was determined in two of the major G-quadruplex structures formed in the human c-MYC promoter gene (c-MYC) and a human telomeric repeat sequence (H-Telo).

Cyclooxygenase-Inhibiting Platinum(IV) Prodrugs with Potent Anticancer Activity.

Platinum(IV) prodrugs of the [Pt(P)(A)(COXi)(OH)] type scaffold (where P is 1,10-phenanthroline or 5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, A is 1,2-diaminocyclohexane, and COXi is a COX inhibitor, either indomethacin or aspirin) were synthesised and characterised, and their biological activity was explored. MTT assays showed that these complexes exhibit outstanding activity against a range of cancer cell lines, and nanomolar activities were observed. The most potent complex, , exhibited a GI of 3 nM in the Du145 prostate cancer cell line and was observed to display a 1614-fold increased activity against the HT29 colon cancer cell line relative to cisplatin.

An Anionic Dinuclear Ruthenium Dihydrogen Complex of Relevance for Alkyne gem-Hydrogenation.

During an investigation into the fate of ruthenium precatalysts used for light-driven alkyne gem-hydrogenation reactions with formation of Grubbs-type ruthenium catalysts, it was found that the reaction of [(IPr)(η -cymene)RuCl ] with H under UV-irradiation affords an anionic dinuclear σ-dihydrogen complex, which is thermally surprisingly robust. Not only are anionic σ-complexes in general exceedingly rare, but the newly formed species seems to be the first example lacking any structural attributes able to counterbalance the negative charge and, in so doing, prevent oxidative insertion of the metal centers into the ligated H from occurring.

A Comparison of Immobilised Triphenylphosphine and 1-Hydroxybenzotriazole as Mediators of Catch-and-Release Acylation Under Flow Conditions.

Described herein is a comparative study of immobilised triphenylphosphine (PS-PPh ) and 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (PS-HOBt) to mediate amide couplings under continuous flow. Compared to Appel-type amidations (PS-PPh ), the developed 'catch-and-release' approach (PS-HOBt) afforded near-quantitative amide conversions. Utilising this strategy, sulfonyl chloride amenability enabled facile access to an expanded library of sulfonate and sulfonamides.

A flow-based transition-metal-catalysed hydrogenolysis strategy to facilitate peptide side-chain deprotection.

Orthogonal deprotection methodologies are an invaluable tool for the construction of site-specially modified peptides. Here, we report a facile 10% Pd/CaCO-based procedure to selectively mediate Nβ-side-chain Cbz-lysis from extended peptide sequences in the presence of trityl and -Butyl protecting groups.

Olefin metathesis: what have we learned about homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts from surface organometallic chemistry?

Since its early days, olefin metathesis has been in the focus of scientific discussions and technology development. While heterogeneous olefin metathesis catalysts based on supported group 6 metal oxides have been used for decades in the petrochemical industry, detailed mechanistic studies and the development of molecular organometallic chemistry have led to the development of robust and widely used homogeneous catalysts based on well-defined alkylidenes that have found applications for the synthesis of fine and bulk chemicals and are also used in the polymer industry. The development of the chemistry of high-oxidation group 5-7 alkylidenes and the use of surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) principles unlocked the preparation of so-called well-defined supported olefin metathesis catalysts.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: A Spectroscopic Probe to Understand the Electronic Structure and Reactivity of Molecules and Materials.

This Perspective focuses on the ability of chemical shift to identify and characterize the electronic structure and associated reactivity of molecules and materials. After a general introduction on NMR parameters, we will show selected examples where the chemical shift of various NMR active nuclei has been used to investigate and understand electronic properties, with a particular focus on organometallic compounds and inorganic materials with relevance to catalysis. We will demonstrate how the NMR parameter of probe molecules and ligands can be used to elucidate the nature of active sites and how they can help to understand and predict their reactivity.

Reactivity of Substituted Benzenes toward Oxidative Addition Relates to NMR Chemical Shift of the Ipso-Carbon.

The oxidative addition of benzene derivatives to Pd catalysts is a key step in cross-coupling reactions. In this work, we show that the ipso-carbon chemical shift of substituted benzenes, and in particular the δ component of the chemical shift tensor, correlates with the free energy barrier for oxidative addition. This correlation is traced back to the electron density in the p orbital of the ipso-carbon (perpendicular of the ring-plane), with high electron densities favoring oxidative addition.

Efficient epoxidation over dinuclear sites in titanium silicalite-1.

Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) is a zeolitic material with MFI framework structure, in which 1 to 2 per cent of the silicon atoms are substituted for titanium atoms. It is widely used in industry owing to its ability to catalytically epoxidize olefins with hydrogen peroxide (HO), leaving only water as a byproduct; around one million tonnes of propylene oxide are produced each year using this process. The catalytic properties of TS-1 are generally attributed to the presence of isolated Ti(IV) sites within the zeolite framework.

The Structure of Molecular and Surface Platinum Sites Determined by DNP-SENS and Fast MAS Pt Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy.

The molecular level characterization of heterogeneous catalysts is challenging due to the low concentration of surface sites and the lack of techniques that can selectively probe the surface of a heterogeneous material. Here, we report the joint application of room temperature proton-detected NMR spectroscopy under fast magic angle spinning (MAS) and dynamic nuclear polarization surface enhanced NMR spectroscopy (DNP-SENS), to obtain the Pt solid-state NMR spectra of a prototypical example of highly dispersed Pt sites (single site or single atom), here prepared via surface organometallic chemistry, by grafting [(COD)Pt(OSi(OBu))] (, COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) on partially dehydroxylated silica (). Compound has a Pt loading of 3.

W NMR Spectroscopy Guides the Search for Tungsten Alkylidyne Catalysts for Alkyne Metathesis.

Triarylsilanolates are privileged ancillary ligands for molybdenum alkylidyne catalysts for alkyne metathesis but lead to disappointing results and poor stability in the tungsten series. H, W heteronuclear multiple bond correlation spectroscopy, exploiting a favorable J-coupling between the W center and the peripheral protons on the alkylidyne cap, revealed that these ligands upregulate the Lewis acidity to an extent that the tungstenacyclobutadiene formed in the initial [2+2] cycloaddition step is over-stabilized and the catalytic turnover brought to a halt. Guided by the W NMR shifts as a proxy for the Lewis acidity of the central atom and by an accompanying chemical shift tensor analysis of the alkylidyne unit, the ligand design was revisited and a more strongly π-donating all-alkoxide ligand prepared.

"Canopy Catalysts" for Alkyne Metathesis: Molybdenum Alkylidyne Complexes with a Tripodal Ligand Framework.

A new family of structurally well-defined molybdenum alkylidyne catalysts for alkyne metathesis, which is distinguished by a tripodal trisilanolate ligand architecture, is presented. Complexes of type combine the virtues of previous generations of silanolate-based catalysts with a significantly improved functional group tolerance. They are easy to prepare on scale; the modularity of the ligand synthesis allows the steric and electronic properties to be fine-tuned and hence the application profile of the catalysts to be optimized.

Silica-Grafted Tris(neopentyl)aluminum: A Monomeric Aluminum Solid Co-catalyst for Efficient Nickel-Catalyzed Ethene Dimerization.

A silica-supported monomeric alkylaluminum co-catalyst was prepared via surface organometallic chemistry by contacting tris(neopentyl)aluminum and partially dehydroxylated silica. This system, fully characterized by solid-state Al NMR spectroscopy augmented by computational studies, efficiently activates ( Bu P) NiCl towards dimerization of ethene, demonstrating comparable activity to previously reported dimeric diethylaluminum chloride supported on silica. Three types of aluminum surface species have been identified: monografted tetracoordinated Al species as well as two types of bisgrafted Al species-tetra- and pentacoordinated.

Probing the Electronic Structure of Spectator Oxo Ligands by O NMR Spectroscopy.

Spectator oxo ligands are ubiquitous in catalysis, in particular in olefin epoxidation and olefin metathesis. Here we use computationally derived O NMR parameters to probe the electronic structure of spectator oxo ligands in these two reactions. We show that O NMR parameters allow to distinguish between doubly-bonded and triply-bonded oxo ligands, giving detailed insights into the frontier molecular orbitals involved in the metaloxo bonds along the reaction pathway.