Cytotoxic and DNA-binding properties of two ruthenium(II) porphyrin complexes

Two ruthenium(II) porphyrin complexes Ru(L)₂Cl(PTP)]⁺ (L = bpy, 1, phen; 2; PTP = 5-(3′-pyridyl)-10,15,20-trimethylphenylporphyrin) have been synthesized and their antitumor activities have been evaluated by MTT(3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) methods. Both complexes exhibit high inhibitory activity against the growth of human cervical carcinoma cell line HeLa, both with and without light treatment. However, when treated with light, the inhibitory activity for both complexes increases at low drug concentration. Spectroscopic studies show that both complexes can bind to HeLa DNA tightly with apparent binding constants of 1.54(±0.07) × 10⁵ and 1.01(±0.02) × 10⁵ M⁻¹ for 1 and 2, respectively.