Monoterpenes as drug shuttles: cytotoxic (6-aminomethylnicotinate)dichloridoplatinum(II) complexes with potential to overcome cisplatin resistance.

(6-Aminomethylnicotinate)dichloridoplatinum(II) complexes 4 esterified with terpene alcohols were tested on a panel of five human tumor cell lines. While they were accumulated in all cell lines more readily than cisplatin (CDDP), their cytotoxicities were tumor-specific and structure-dependent. Cell lines known to feature elevated levels of antiapoptotic, ion-channel-affecting proteins or otherwise impaired caspase-9 activation responded better to 4 than to CDDP, e.g., the HL-60 leukemia to the fenchyl and bornyl derivatives 4a,b at an IC90 < or = 10 microM. The (-)-menthyl complex 4g was far better accumulated and more efficacious in CDDP-resistant 1411HP male germ cell tumor cells than in the congenerous CDDP-sensitive H12.1 cell line. 4g also broke the CDDP resistance of 518A2 melanoma cells. Cell decay in each case was apoptotic as to TUNEL and Annexin V fluorescence assays. Some complexes 4 seem to positively modulate the permeability of the cell membrane and of blocked mitochondrial anion channels.