Photosubstitution and photoreduction of a diazido platinum(IV) anticancer complex.

The hyphenation of HPLC with its high separation ability and ICP-MS with its excellent sensitivity, allows the analysis of Pt drugs in biological samples at the low nanomolar concentration levels. On the other hand, LC-MS provides molecular structural confirmation for each species. Using a combination of these methods, we have investigated the speciation of the photoactive anticancer complex diazido Pt(IV) complex , , -[Pt(N)(OH)(py)] (FM-190) in aqueous solution and biofluids at single-digit nanomolar concentrations before and after irradiation.

A Photodynamic and Photochemotherapeutic Platinum-Iridium Charge-Transfer Conjugate for Anticancer Therapy.

The novel hetero-dinuclear complex trans,trans,trans-[Pt(py)(N)(OH)(μ-OOCCHCHCONHCH-bpyMe)Ir(ppy)]Cl (Pt-Ir), exhibits charge transfer between the acceptor photochemotherapeutic Pt(IV) (Pt-OH) and donor photodynamic Ir(III) (Ir-NH) fragments. It is stable in the dark, but undergoes photodecomposition more rapidly than the Pt(IV) parent complex (Pt-OH) to generate Pt(II) species, an azidyl radical and O. The Ir(III)* excited state, formed after irradiation, can oxidise NADH to NAD⋅ radicals and NAD.

Tuning the photoactivated anticancer activity of Pt(iv) compounds distant ferrocene conjugation.

Photoactive prodrugs offer potential for spatially-selective antitumour activity with minimal effects on normal tissues. Excited-state chemistry can induce novel effects on biochemical pathways and combat resistance to conventional drugs. Photoactive metal complexes in particular, have a rich and relatively unexplored photochemistry, especially an ability to undergo facile intersystem crossing and populate triplet states.

Reactions of cisplatin and oxaliplatin with penicillin G: implications for drug inactivation and biological activity.

Determination of the toxicity of compounds toward cancer cells is a frequent procedure in drug discovery. For metal complexes, which are often reactive prodrugs, care has to be taken to consider reactions with components of the cell culture medium that might change the speciation of the metal complex before it is taken up by the cells. Here, we consider possible reactions between the clinical platinum drugs cisplatin and oxaliplatin with penicillin G, an antibiotic added routinely to cell culture media to prevent bacterial contamination.

Single-Cell Chemistry of Photoactivatable Platinum Anticancer Complexes.

The Pt(IV) prodrug -[Pt(pyridine)(N)(OH)] () and its coumarin derivative -[Pt(pyridine)(N)(OH)(coumarin-3-carboxylate)] () are promising agents for photoactivated chemotherapy. These complexes are inert in the dark but release Pt(II) species and radicals upon visible light irradiation, resulting in photocytotoxicity toward cancer cells. Here, we have used synchrotron techniques to investigate the in-cell behavior of these prodrugs and visualize, for the first time, changes in cellular morphology and Pt localization upon treatment with and without light irradiation.

Metallodrugs are unique: opportunities and challenges of discovery and development.

Metals play vital roles in nutrients and medicines and provide chemical functionalities that are not accessible to purely organic compounds. At least 10 metals are essential for human life and about 46 other non-essential metals (including radionuclides) are also used in drug therapies and diagnostic agents. These include platinum drugs (in 50% of cancer chemotherapies), lithium (bipolar disorders), silver (antimicrobials), and bismuth (broad-spectrum antibiotics).

DNA-Intercalative Platinum Anticancer Complexes Photoactivated by Visible Light.

Photoactivatable agents offer the prospect of highly selective cancer therapy with low side effects and novel mechanisms of action that can combat current drug resistance. 1,8-Naphthalimides with their extended π system can behave as light-harvesting groups, fluorescent probes and DNA intercalators. We conjugated N-(carboxymethyl)-1,8-naphthalimide (gly-R-Nap) with an R substituent on the naphthyl group to photoactive diazido Pt complexes to form t,t,t-[Pt(py) (N ) (OH)(gly-R-Nap)], R=H (1), 3-NO (2) or 4-NMe (3).

Axial functionalisation of photoactive diazido platinum(iv) anticancer complexes.

Mono-axial functionalised octahedral diazido Pt(iv) complexes trans, trans, trans-[Pt(py)(N)(OR)(OR)] (OR = OH and OR = anticancer agent coumarin-3 carboxylate (cou, ), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) inhibitors 4-phenylbutyrate (PhB, ) or dichloroacetate (DCA, )), and their di-axial functionalised analogues with OR = DCA and OR = cou (), PhB (), or DCA () have been synthesised and characterised, including the X-ray crystal structures of complexes and . These complexes exhibit dark stability and have the potential to generate cytotoxic Pt(ii) species and free radicals selectively in cancer cells when irradiated. Mono-functionalised complexes showed higher aqueous solubility and more negative reduction potentials.

Ligand-Controlled Reactivity and Cytotoxicity of Cyclometalated Rhodium(III) Complexes.

We report the synthesis, characterisation and cytotoxicity of six cyclometalated rhodium(III) complexes [CpRh(C^N)Z], in which Cp = Cp*, Cp, or Cp, C^N = benzo[h]quinoline, and Z = chloride or pyridine. Three x-ray crystal structures showing the expected "piano-stool" configurations have been determined. The chlorido complexes hydrolysed faster in aqueous solution, also reacted preferentially with 9-ethyl guanine or glutathione compared to their pyridine analogues.

Unexpected photoactivation pathways in a folate-receptor-targeted -diazido Pt(IV) anticancer pro-drug.

A conjugate between a photoactive trans-diazido Pt(iv) pro-drug, trans,trans,trans-[Pt(N3)2(OH)2(py)2], and folic acid has been synthesized and fully characterized by high resolution ESI-MS, NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy. Photoactivation of the Pt-folate conjugate with visible light confirmed the generation of cytotoxic Pt(ii) species capable of binding to guanine nucleobases. Importantly, photoreduction of the Pt(iv) complex triggered the photodecomposition of the folate vector into a p-aminobenzoate-containing fragment and several pterin derivatives, including 6-formylpterin.

How promising is phototherapy for cancer?

Oncological phototherapy, including current photodynamic therapy (PDT), developmental photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), shows promising photo-efficacy for superficial and internal tumours. The dual application of light and photochemotherapeutic agents allows accurate cancer targeting, low invasiveness and novel mechanisms of action. Current advances in new light sources and photoactive agents are encouraging for future development.

Biotinylated photoactive Pt(iv) anticancer complexes.

Novel biotinylated diazido-Pt(iv) complexes exhibit high visible light photocytotoxicity while being stable in the dark. Photocytotoxicity and cellular accumulation of all-trans-[Pt(py)(N)(biotin)(OH)] (2a) were enhanced significantly when bound to avidin; irradiation induced dramatic cellular morphological changes in human ovarian cancer cells treated with 2a.

Photoactive platinum(iv) complex conjugated to a cancer-cell-targeting cyclic peptide.

A conjugate of cancer-cell targeting cyclic disulphide nona-peptide c(CRWYDENAC) consisting of nine l-amino acids with the photoactive succinate platinum(iv) complex trans,trans-[Pt(N)(py)(OH)(succinate)] (Pt-cP) has been synthesised and characterised. The conjugate was stable in dark, but released succinate-peptide and Pt(ii) species upon irradiation with visible light, and formed photoproducts with guanine. Conjugate Pt-cP exhibited higher photocytotoxicity than parent complex trans,trans,trans-[Pt(N)(OH)(py)] (FM-190) towards cancer cells, including ovarian A2780, lung A549 and prostate PC3 human cancer cells upon irradiation with blue light (465 nm, 17.

Photoactivatable platinum anticancer complex can generate tryptophan radicals.

l-Tryptophan (Trp), melatonin (MLT) and the Trp-peptide pentagastrin quenched the formation of azidyl radicals generated on irradiation of the anticancer complex trans,trans,trans-[Pt(pyridine)2(N3)2(OH)2] with visible light, giving rise to C3-centred indole radicals which were characterized for Trp and MLT using an EPR spin-trap; indole, together with azidyl and hydroxyl radicals, have potential roles in a multitargeting mechanism of action against resistant cancers.

Photoactivatable Cell-Selective Dinuclear trans-Diazidoplatinum(IV) Anticancer Prodrugs.

A series of dinuclear octahedral Pt complexes trans, trans, trans-[{Pt(N)(py)(OH)(OC(O)CHCHC(O)NH)}R] containing pyridine (py) and bridging dicarboxylate [R = -CHCH- (1), trans-1,2-CH- (2), p-CH- (3), -CHCHCHCH- (4)] ligands have been synthesized and characterized, including the X-ray crystal structures of complexes 1·2MeOH and 4, the first photoactivatable dinuclear Pt complexes with azido ligands. The complexes are highly stable in the dark, but upon photoactivation with blue light (420 nm), they release the bridging ligand and mononuclear photoproducts. Upon irradiation with blue light (465 nm), they generate azidyl and hydroxyl radicals, detected using a 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide electron paramagnetic resonance spin trap, accompanied by the disappearance of the ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (N → Pt) band at ca.

Supramolecular Photoactivatable Anticancer Hydrogels.

A photoactivatable dopamine-conjugated platinum(IV) anticancer complex (Pt-DA) has been incorporated into G-quadruplex GK borate hydrogels by using borate ester linkages (Pt-GKB hydrogel). These were characterized by B NMR, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, circular dichroism, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Microscopy investigations revealed the transformation of an extended fiber assembly into discrete flakes after incorporation of Pt-DA.