The key role of coligands in novel ruthenium(II)-cyclopentadienyl bipyridine derivatives: Ranging from non-cytotoxic to highly cytotoxic compounds.

A new family of eight ruthenium(II)-cyclopentadienyl bipyridine derivatives, bearing nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous and carbonyl sigma bonded coligands, has been synthesized. Compounds bearing nitrogen bonded coligands were found to be unstable in aqueous solution, while the others presented appropriate stabilities for the biologic assays and pursued for determination of IC50 values in ovarian (A2780) and breast (MCF7 and MDAMB231) human cancer cell lines. These studies were also carried out for the [5: HSA] and [6: HSA] adducts (HSA=human serum albumin) and a better performance was found for the first case.

A novel V(IV)O-pyrimidinone complex: synthesis, solution speciation and human serum protein binding.

The pyrimidinones mhcpe, 2-methyl-3H-5-hydroxy-6-carboxy-4-pyrimidinone ethyl ester (mhcpe, 1), 2,3-dimethyl-5-benzyloxy-6-carboxy-4-pyrimidinone ethyl ester (dbcpe, 2) and N-methyl-2,3-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-6-carboxyamido-4-pyrimidinone (N-MeHOPY, 3), are synthesized and their structures determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The acid-base properties of 1 are studied by potentiometric and spectrophotometric methods, the pK(a) values being 1.14 and 6.

Evaluation of the binding of oxovanadium(IV) to human serum albumin.

The understanding of the biotransformations of insulin mimetic vanadium complexes in human blood and its transport to target cells is an essential issue in the development of more effective drugs. We present the study of the interaction of oxovanadium(iv) with human serum albumin (HSA) by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), circular dichroism (CD) and visible absorption spectroscopy. Metal competition studies were done using Cu(II) and Zn(II) as metal probes.

Electronic properties of a cytosine decavanadate: toward a better understanding of chemical and biological properties of decavanadates.

We have synthesized and crystallized a cytosine-decavanadate compound, Na(3) [V(10)O(28)] (C(4)N(3)OH(5))(3)(C(4)N(3)OH(6))(3).10H(2)O, and its crystal structure has been determined from a single-crystal X-ray diffraction. A high resolution X-ray diffraction experiment at 210 K (in P1 space group phase) was carried out.

A novel vanadyl complex with a polypyridyl DNA intercalator as ligand: a potential anti-protozoa and anti-tumor agent.

In the search for new metal-based drugs for the treatment of tumoral and parasitic diseases a vanadyl complex, [V(IV)O(SO(4))(H2O)(2)(dppz)].2H(2)O, that includes the bidentate polypyridyl DNA intercalator dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine (dppz), was synthesized, characterized by a combination of techniques, and in vitro evaluated on the human acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 and against Dm28c strain epimastigotes of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, causative agent of Chagas' disease. EPR spectroscopy suggests a distorted octahedral geometry for the complex with the dppz ligand acting as bidentate, binding through both nitrogen donor atoms in an axial-equatorial mode.

Biospeciation of various antidiabetic V(IV)O compounds in serum.

The interactions of various insulin mimetic oxovanadium(IV) compounds with serum proteins were studied in model systems and in ex vivo samples. For the modeling study, an earlier in situ method was extended and applied to the formation of ternary complexes of apotransferrin (apoTf)-V(IV)O-maltol (mal) and 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-pyridinone (dhp). Both systems were evaluated via simultaneous CD and EPR measurements.

Vanadium compounds as therapeutic agents: some chemical and biochemical studies.

The behaviour of three vanadium(V) systems, namely the pyridinone (V(V)-dmpp), the salicylaldehyde (V(V)-salDPA) and the pyrimidinone (V(V)-MHCPE) complexes, is studied in aqueous solutions, under aerobic and physiological conditions using (51)V NMR, EPR and UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopies. The speciations for the V(V)-dmpp and V(V)-salDPA have been previously reported. In this work, the system V(V)-MHCPE is studied by pH-potentiometry and (51)V NMR.

Design of vanadium mixed-ligand complexes as potential anti-protozoa agents.

In the search for new therapeutic tools against Chagas' disease (American Trypanosomiasis) four novel mixed-ligand vanadyl complexes, [V(IV)O(L(2)-2H)(L(1))], including a bidentate polypyridyl DNA intercalator (L(1)) and a tridentate salycylaldehyde semicarbazone derivative (L(2)) as ligands were synthesized, characterized by a combination of techniques, and in vitro evaluated. EPR suggest a distorted octahedral geometry with the tridentate semicarbazone occupying three equatorial positions and the polypyridyl ligand coordinated in an equatorial/axial mode. Both complexes including dipyrido[3,2-a: 2',3'-c]phenazine (dppz) as polypyridyl coligand showed IC(50) values in the muM range against Dm28c strain (epimastigotes) of Trypanosoma cruzi, causative agent of the disease, being as active as the anti-trypanosomal reference drug Nifurtimox.

Interaction and lipid-induced conformation of two cecropin-melittin hybrid peptides depend on peptide and membrane composition.

The interaction of two hybrid peptides of cecropin A and melittin [CA(1-8)M(1-18) and CA(1-7)M(2-9)] with liposomes was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), circular dichroism (CD), and quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS). The study was carried out with large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) of three different lipid compositions: 1,2-dimyristoil-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC), 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-rac-(1-glycerol) (DMPG) and a binary mixture of DMPC/DMPG, in a wide range of peptide-to-lipid (P:L) molar ratios (0 to 1:7). DSC results indicate that, for both peptides, the interaction depends on membrane composition, with very different behavior for zwitterionic and anionic membranes.

Uptake and metabolic effects of insulin mimetic oxovanadium compounds in human erythrocytes.

The uptake of the oxidation products of two oxovanadium(IV) compounds, [N,N'-ethylenebis(pyridoxylaminato)]oxovanadium(IV), V(IV)O(Rpyr(2)en), and bis-[3-hydroxy-1,2-dimethyl-4-pyridinonato]oxovanadium(IV), V(IV)O(dmpp)(2), by human erythrocytes was studied using (51)V and (1)H NMR and EPR spectroscopy. V(IV)O(Rpyr(2)en) in aerobic aqueous solution is oxidized to its V(V) counterpart and the neutral form slowly enters the cells by passive diffusion. In aerobic conditions, V(IV)O(dmpp)(2) originates V(V) complexes of 1:1 and 1:2 stoichiometry.

The systems V(IV)O(2+)-glutathione and related ligands: a potentiometric and spectroscopic study.

The equilibria in the system V(IV)O(2+)-glutathione in aqueous solution were studied in the pH range 2-11 by a combination of pH-potentiometry and spectroscopy (EPR, visible absorption and circular dichroism). The results of the various methods are consistent and the equilibrium model includes the species MLH(3), MLH(2), MLH, ML(2)H(2), MLH(-1), and MLH(-2) and several hydrolysis products (where H(4)L denotes totally protonated glutathione); individual formation constants and spectra are given. ML(2)H(2) is the predominant species at physiological pH.