Copper complexes as potential bioinorganic target-specific drugs

The knowledge of the local atomic environment of copper in inorganic complexes containing scorpionate-based ligands is essential to study the relationship between cytotoxic activity and structure of the complexes. The joint XAS and biological data evaluation can allow to design new ligands useful for the synthesis of novel copper derivatives to be further evaluated as alternative anticancer drugs. 
M. Pellei et al., Dalton Trans. 40, 9877 (2011).
Experimental results of copper(II) complexes with two new-synthesized nitroimidazole and glucosamine conjugated heteroscorpionate ligands, {[(LMN)2Cu]Cl2}, and {[(LDAC)2Cu]Cl2}, proposed as alternative anticancer drugs to the cisplatin, are presented. The XAS measurements, recorded on solid samples, were successively analyzed taking into account the Multiple Scattering formalism, allowing the determination of the local atomic environment of copper. The cytotoxic activity of both copper complexes towards a panel of several human tumour cell lines was evaluated showing inhibitory potency that is are about 3- fold more effective than the widely used cisplatin.

Retrieve article

Nitroimidazole and glucosamine conjugated heteroscorpionate ligands and
related copper(II) complexes. Syntheses, biological activity and XAS studies

M. Pellei, G. Papini, A. Trasatti, M. Giorgetti, D. Tonelli, M. Minicucci, C. Marzano, V. Gandin, G. Aquilanti, A. Dolmella and C. Santini
Dalton Trans. 40, 9877 (2011).
10.1039/c1dt10486a
Last Updated on Wednesday, 09 January 2013 11:13