Synthesis, Characterisation and In Vitro Anticancer Activity of Catalytically Active Indole-Based Half-Sandwich Complexes.

The synthesis, characterisation and evaluation of the in vitro cytotoxicity of four indole-based half-sandwich metal complexes towards two ovarian cancer cell lines (A2780 and A2780cisR) and one normal prostate cell line (PNT2) are presented herein. Although capable of inducing catalytic oxidation of NADH and able to reduce NAD with high turnover frequencies, in cells and in the presence of sodium formate, these complexes also strongly interact with biomolecules such as glutathione. This work highlights that efficient out-of-cells catalytic activity might lead to higher reactivity towards biomolecules, thus inhibiting the in-cells catalytic processes.

Bis(acetonitrile-κN)dichlorido(η-cyclo-octa-1,5-diene)ruthenium(II) acetonitrile monosolvate.

In the title Ru(II) complex, [RuCl(2)(C(8)H(12))(C(2)H(3)N)(2)]·CH(3)CN, the metal ion is coordinated to the centers of each of the double bonds of the cyclo-octa-diene ligand, to two chloride ions (in cis positions) and to two N-atom donors (from MeCN mol-ecules) that complete the coordination sphere for the neutral complex. The coordination about the Ru(II) atom can thus be considered to be octa-hedral with a slightly trigonal distortion. There is also one acetonitrile solvent mol-ecule per mol-ecule which is outside the coordination sphere of the ruthenium atom.