QSAR and Molecular Docking Studies of Pyrimidine-Coumarin-Triazole Conjugates as Prospective Anti-Breast Cancer Agents

Cancer is a life-threatening disease and is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Although many drugs are available for the treatment of cancer, survival outcomes are very low. Hence, rapid development of newer anticancer agents is a prime focus of the medicinal chemistry community. Since the recent past, computational methods have been extensively employed for accelerating the drug discovery process. In view of this, in the present study we performed 2D-QSAR (Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship) analysis of a series of compounds reported with potential anticancer activity against breast cancer cell line MCF7 using QSARINS software. The best four models exhibited a r² value of 0.99. From the generated QSAR equations, a series of pyrimidine-coumarin-triazole conjugates were designed and their MCF7 cell inhibitory activities were predicted using the QSAR equations. Furthermore, molecular docking studies were carried out for the designed compounds using AutoDock Vina against dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), colchicine and vinblastine binding sites of tubulin, the key enzyme targets in breast cancer. The most active compounds identified through these computational studies will be useful for synthesizing and testing them as prospective novel anti-breast cancer agents.     

Potent Anticancer Activity and Possible Low Toxicity of Platinum(II) Complexes with Functionalized 1,1‐Cyclobutanedicarboxylate as a Leaving Ligand

Two platinum(II) complexes, DN603 and DN604, were designed and prepared by using 3‐oxocyclobutane‐1,1‐dicarboxylate as a ligand. The compounds were prepared according to the concept that incorporation of a functionalized moiety in the leaving ligand that did not affect its coordination bonding to the metal atom would play a key role in the anticancer activity of the resulting platinum complex. The newly prepared compounds were found to show potent in vitro anticancer activity comparable to cisplatin and oxaliplatin; especially DN604, which exhibited low acute toxicity similar to carboplatin, and presented acceptable solubility and stability in water. Chemical and biological results indicated that the functionalized moiety, uncoordinated, led to potent anticancer activity and low apparent toxicity of the platinum complexes by affecting the kinetic properties of the compounds.     

Elaborated spectral,modeling, QSAR,docking, thermal,antimicrobial and anticancer activity studies for new nanosized metal ion complexes derived from sulfamerazine azodye

New azodye ligand (H₂L) and its relative Cr(III)-, Mn(II)-, Fe(III)-, Co(II)-, Ni(II)-, Cu(II)-, Zn(II)- and Cd(II)-nanosized complexes were prepared. A new synthesized compounds were characterized using spectral (mass, IR, UV–Vis, XRD, and ESR) and analytical (elemental, molar conductance, thermal and magnetic moment measurements) tools. Infrared spectra showed that the ligand behaves as a monobasic bidentate, coordinating with central atoms through carbonyl oxygen and α-hydroxyl group. The geometrical structures of Cr(III) and Fe(III) complexes were found to be in octahedral configuration, whereas Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) complexes have tetrahedral forms. XRD patterns reflect an amorphous appearance of all investigated complexes. TEM images showed nanosized particles and identical distribution over the complex surface. Molecular modeling for the drug ligand and its metal ion complexes were performed using Gaussian09 program to assert on their structural formulae. Some essential parameters were extracted using HOMO and LUMO energies. AutoDock tools 4.2 was used to simulate the interaction process with infected cell proteins to expect the experimental pathway. The inhibition activity of drug ligand and its metal ion complexes was evaluated towards different types of bacteria and fungi through in vitro antimicrobial activities. The antitumor activities of all compounds are straightened towards human liver carcinoma (HEPG2) cell lines. Fe(III) and Co(II) complexes exhibited IC₅₀ of 2.90 and 4.23 µg mL^?1, respectively, which means they are more potent anticancer drug than the standard (doxorubicin, IC₅₀ = 4.73 µg mL^?1). Therefore, the two complexes may consider promising anticancer drugs.

     

Synthesis,crystal structure and biological properties of a cis‐dichloridobis(diimine)copper(II) complex

The mechanisms of interaction of inorganic complexes with DNA are important in the design and development of new metal‐based drug molecules. The limitations of cis‐platin have encouraged the design and development of new metal‐based target‐specific anticancer drugs having reduced side effects. The complex cis‐dichloridobis(1,2,5‐thiadiazolo[3,4‐f][1,10]phenanthroline‐κ²N¹,N¹⁰)copper(II), [CuCl₂(C₁₂H₆N₄S)₂], has been synthesized and characterized. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c. The covalent binding of the complex with DNA was studied by absorption spectroscopy. The anticancer activity of the complex on the Human Lung Carcinoma (A549) cell line was investigated by MTT assay. The complex exhibits higher toxicity than cis‐platin and induces an apoptotic mode of cell death.     

Novel Polyhedral Silsesquioxanes [POSS(OH)32] as Anthracycline Nanocarriers—Potential Anticancer Prodrugs

Anthracyclines belong to the anticancer drugs that are widely used in chemotherapy. However, due to their systemic toxicity they also exert dangerous side effects associated mainly with cardiovascular risks. The pathway that is currently often developed is their chemical and physical modification via formation of conjugated or complexed prodrug systems with a variety of nanocarriers that can selectively release the active species in cancer cells. In this study, six new nanoconjugates were synthesized with the use of polyhedral oligosilsesquioxanes [POSS(OH)₃₂] as nanocarriers of the anticancer drugs anthracyclines—doxorubicin (DOX) and daunorubicin (DAU). These prodrug conjugates are also equipped with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) moieties of different structure and molecular weight. Water-soluble POSS, succinic anhydride modified (SAMDOX and SAMDAU) with carboxylic function, and PEGs (PEG1, PEG2 and PEGB3) were used for the synthesis. New nanoconjugates were formed via ester bonds and their structure was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy (¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, ¹H-¹³C HSQC, DOSY and ¹H-¹H COSY), FTIR and DLS. Drug release rate was evaluated using UV-Vis spectroscopy at pH of 5.5. Release profiles of anthracyclines from conjugates 4–9 point to a range of 10 to 75% (after 42 h). Additionally, model NMR tests as well as diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) confirmed formation of the relevant prodrugs. The POSS-anthracycline conjugates exhibited prolonged active drug release time that can lead to the possibility of lowering administered doses and thus giving them high potential in chemotherapy. Drug release from conjugate 7 after 42 h was approx. 10%, 33% for conjugate 4, 47% for conjugate 5, 6, 8 and 75% for conjugate 9.     

Enhancing the Activity of Drugs by Conjugation to Organometallic Fragments

Resistance to chemotherapy is a current clinical problem, especially in the treatment of microbial infections and cancer. One strategy to overcome this is to make new derivatives of existing drugs by conjugation to organometallic fragments, either by an appropriate linker, or by direct coordination of the drug to a metal. We illustrate this with examples of conjugated organometallic metallocene sandwich and half-sandwich complexes, Ru^II and Os^II arene, and Rh^III and Ir^III cyclopentadienyl half-sandwich complexes. Ferrocene conjugates are particularly promising. The ferrocene–chloroquine conjugate ferroquine is in clinical trials for malaria treatment, and a ferrocene-tamoxifen derivative (a ferrocifen) seems likely to enter anticancer trails soon. Several other examples illustrate that organometallic conjugation can restore the activity of drugs to which resistance has developed.     

New Ni(II), Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes coordinated to azo pyrazolone ligand with a potent anti‐tumor activity: Synthesis,characterization, DFT and DNA cleavage studies

The absolute necessity to fight some class of tumor is perceived as serious health concerns, so the discovery and development of effective anticancer agents are urgently needed. (E)‐4‐((2‐hydroxyphenyl)diazenyl)‐3‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐5(4H)‐one, HL, and its Ni(II), Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes were synthesized and the biological activity was evaluated for antitumor, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity as well as DNA cleavage. Their structures were assigned depending on the elemental analysis, conductivity, magnetic moment, spectral measurements (IR, ¹HNMR, mass and UV–Vis) and thermal analysis. 3D molecular modeling using DFT method confirmed that the geometrical structures agree well with the suggested experimental ones. The antitumor activity was evaluated against four different cell lines using MTT assay. The ligand HL showed a potent cytotoxic activity compared to 5‐fluorouracil as a reference drug. For metal complexes, the order of activity was: Pd(II) > Ni(II) > Pt(II). A remarkable antioxidant activity for the ligand HL was recorded. It was higher than that of the metal complexes. Results of antimicrobial experiments revealed that all compounds were moderate to highly active against selected bacterial strains but inactive as antifungal except Pd(II) which showed a moderate antifungal activity. Gel electrophoresis showed insignificant nucleases activity for the ligand or its metal complexes even in the presence of H₂O₂ providing protection of DNA from damage. The antitumor activity of our compounds may be not due to DNA cleavage but may be referred to a mechanism similar to that of 5‐fluorouracil which interfere with DNA replication. The present work suggests the use of this ligand in the design and development of new anticancer drugs.     

Organometallic ruthenium-based antitumor compounds with novel modes of action

Both metal complexes and organic molecules are widely used for the treatment of various diseases including cancer - in addition to surgery and radiotherapy. Recent years have witnessed a surge of interest in the application of organometallic compounds to treat cancer and other diseases. Indeed, the unique properties of organometallic compounds, intermediate between those of classical inorganic and organic materials provide new opportunities in medicinal chemistry. In this review, based on the award lecture at ICBOMC’10, we describe a class of ruthenium(II)-arene complexes that are weakly cytotoxic in vitro, but show selective antimetastatic activity in vivo. These compounds, [Ru(η⁶-p-arene)Cl₂(pta)] termed RAPTA, interact strongly with proteins, with the ability to discriminate binding to different proteins, but show a relatively low propensity to bind DNA, which is considered to be the main target of many metal-based drugs. The basic RAPTA structure is quite stable in physiological environments, and studies have shown that aquation of the chloride bonds occurs, it may not be an essential step for anticancer drug activity - direct substitution with biomolecular targets is also possible. Based on the favorable physicochemical properties of RAPTA compounds, combined with their highly promising pharmacological properties, the structure represents an ideal scaffold for rational drug design. Thus far, strategies to overcome drug resistance, by interference with critical enzymes responsible for drug deactivation, and tumor targeting, by tethering to human serum albumin via hydrolyzable linkers, have been demonstrated. However, many more approaches can be envisaged. In any case, the net result are a type of hybrid compounds, that occupy a niche somewhere between classical cisplatin-type anticancer agents that are widely applied to many tumor types and targeted therapies based on organic structures used to inhibit specific enzymes. As such, should these compounds prove themselves in the clinic it is not inconceivable that they could be rapidly refined to form personalized chemotherapies.     

Cell-penetrating γ-peptide/antimicrobial undecapeptide conjugates with anticancer activity

In this study, we combined a cell-penetrating γ-peptide, PEG-1, with antimicrobial undecapeptides in order to provide compounds with anticancer properties against MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. We demonstrated that the conjugates were more cytotoxic than Ac-PEG-1 and the parent undecapeptides. We also evaluated the toxicity of the conjugates against non-malignant cells. The peptide conjugate with the best biological profile was BP77-PEG-1, which, at 10 μM, showed a 71% growth inhibition in MDA-MB-231 cells and only a 17% inhibition in non-malignant cells. Therefore, this study suggests that PEG-1 mediated the undecapeptide delivery into cancer cells and that these conjugates are the proof-of-concept of this strategy to generate improved anticancer drugs based on peptides.     

Toward designing drug-like libraries: a novel computational approach for prediction of drug feasibility of compounds

Prediction of the degree of drug-like character in small molecules is of great industrial interest. The major barrier, however, is the lack of a definition for drug-like character. We used the concept of the multilevel chemical compatibility (MLCC) between a compound and a drug library as a measure of the drug-like character of a compound. The rationale is that the local chemical environment of each atom or group of atoms in a compound largely contributes to the stability, toxicity, and metabolism in vivo. A systematic comparison of the local environments within a compound and those within the existing drugs provides a basis for determining whether and how much a compound is drug-like. We applied the MLCC calculations to four test sets: top selling drugs, compounds under biological testing prior to the preclinical test, anticancer drugs, and compounds known to have poor drug-like character. The following conclusions were obtained: (1) A convergent number of unique local structure types were found in the analysis of the library of the existing drugs. It suggests that the current drug library contains about 80% of all the viable types; therefore, discovery of a drug with new local structures is only an event of relatively small probability. (2) The method is highly selective in discerning drug-like compounds: most of the top drugs are predicted to be drug-like, about one-quarter of the biological testing compounds are drug-like, and about one-fifth of the anticancer drugs are drug-like. (3) The method also correctly predicted that none of the known problematic compounds are drug-like. (4) The method is fast enough for computational screening of virtual combinatorial chemistry libraries and databases of available compounds.     

A Multitargeted Approach: Organorhodium Anticancer Agent Based on Vorinostat as a Potent Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor

The combination of more than one bioactive moiety in a multitargeted anticancer agent may result in synergistic activity of its components. Using this concept, bioorganometallic compounds were designed to feature a metal center, a 2‐pyridinecarbothioamide (PCA), and a hydroxamic acid, which is found in the anticancer drug vorinostat (SAHA). The organometallics showed inhibitory activity in the nanomolar range against histone deacetylases (HDACs) as the key target for SAHA. In particular, the Rh complex was a potent inhibitor of HDAC6 over HDAC1 and HDAC8. Whereas this complex was highly cytotoxic in human cancer cells, it showed low toxicity in hemolysis studies and zebrafish, demonstrating the role of the metal center. For this complex a slightly reduced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) was established, which was upregulated by SAHA. This finding indicates that the new organometallics display different modes of action than their bioactive components.     

Synthesis,antibacterial, anticancer and molecular docking studies of macrocyclic metal complexes of dihydrazide and diketone

The complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) metal ions has been synthesized through template method by the condensation of succinic acid dihydrazide with 5-chloroisatin in alcoholic medium. Complexes were characterized by C H N analysis, molar conductance, thermal analysis, magnetic susceptibility, mass spectrometry, FTIR, EPR, ¹H NMR, UV–Visible spectroscopy. These studies suggest an octahedral geometry for all the complexes. The compounds were found active against B. subtilis and S. aureus and P. aeruginosa and E. coli bacteria. The Zn(II) complex showed significant anticancer activity against Squamous Cell Carcinoma cells tested by the MTT assay method. Molecular docking studies with EGFR tyrosine kinase were also carried out. All these results show that some of the synthesized compounds have remarkable antibacterial and anticancer property.     

Carrier polymers for cisplatin-type anticancer drug models

Following a brief discussion of the concept of polymer–drug conjugation and the use of platinum drugs in cancer therapy, the paper presents recent results in the synthesis of water-soluble polymeric carriers designed for the binding of antineoplastic coordination compounds of the cisplatin type. The target polymers, specifically, are linear aliphatic polyamides comprising the ethylenediamine ligand system in the main chain as the potential metal binding site. With solubility in aqueous media a key requirement for intravenously injectable conjugates, the polymers also contain hydrosolubilizing oligo(ethylene oxide) units in the chain, which serve the additional purpose of imparting resistance to serum protein binding and capture by the reticuloendothelial system. The synthesis methods include interfacial polymerization, high-temperature solution polycondensation in polyphosphoric acid and Michael addition polymerization, with 1,2-bis(2-aminoethylamino)ethane and 1,2-bis(3-aminopropylamino)ethane used as the amine comonomers providing the ethylenediamine ligand segment. The target polymers, crudely fractionated by dialysis in 25,000 molecular-mass cult-off tubing, are isolated by freeze-drying as water-soluble solids possessing inherent viscosities of 10–20 ml/g. A selected carrier polymer is converted to the corresponding water-soluble cis-diaminedichloroplatinum(II) conjugate by treatment with tetrachloroplatinate(II) anion in aqueous solution.     

Retracted: Synthesis,Molecular Properties,and Biological Evaluation of Hybrid 1,2,3‐Triazolylpolyaza Heterocyclic Compounds

In this research article, a highly efficient, cost‐effective synthesis of various hybrid molecules possessing 1,2,3‐triazolyltetrazoles and evaluation of their biological activity have been addressed. The structure elucidation of these new library hybrid molecules has been carried out by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and mass spectral analysis. The compounds have been screened for their anticancer activity against human colon cancer cell line Colo‐205 and human lung cancer cell line HOP‐205, and the results attest that most of the compounds have shown very good therapeutic nature. In particular, compounds 3d , 3j , 6a , and 6e were more cytotoxic than Adriamycin against all tested human cancer cell lines with 68%, 101.8%, 94%, and 104.5% growth, respectively. In the present investigation, a series of 3a – j and 6a – h were subjected to molecular properties prediction, drug likeness by Molinspiration, and toxicity risks by Molsoft software programs. All the 18 analogues were chosen on the basis of Lipinski “Rule of five” for the synthesis, screening their antibacterial and anticancer as oral bioavailable drugs/leads.     

Synthesis and characterization studies of 3-formyl chromone Schiff base complexes and their application as antitumor,antioxidant and antimicrobial

A novel Schiff base namely (E)-3-((2,6-dihydroxypyrimidin-4-ylimino)methyl)-4H-chromen-4-one and its Co (II), N (II)i, Cu (II) and Cd (II) complexes have been synthesized and proved by elemental analysis, molar conductance, thermal analysis (TGA), Inductive Coupled plasma (ICP), magnetic moment measurements, X-ray powder diffraction, IR, EI-mass,¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR,UV–Vis. and ESR spectral studies. On the basis of these data, it is evident that the Schiff base acts as bidentate via oxygen atom of carbonyl group and azomethine nitrogen atom for Co (II) complex; monobasic bidentate ligand for Ni (II), Cu (II) and Cd (II) complexes via oxygen atom of hydroxyl group and nitrogen atom of pyrimidine ring. The results showed all complexes have octahedral geometry. The average particle size of the ligand and its complexes were found to be 1.010–0.343 nm. The pharmacological action (antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer) of the prepared compounds is studied. The antitumor activity of the ligand and its metal complexes is evaluated against human liver carcinoma (HEPG2) cell. The data displayed the Co (II) complexes strong cytotoxicity where IC₅₀ values of Co (II) complex and 5-fluorouracil (stander drug) are 9.33 and 7.86 μg/ml respectively. The Co (II) and Cd (II) complexes have antibacterial activity more than ampicillin (stander drug). The interaction of the synthesized compounds with calf-thymus DNA (CT-DNA) has been performed via absorption spectra and viscosity technique. The DNA- binding constants have been determined.     

1,3,4-Oxadiazole-containing hybrids as potential anticancer agents: Recent developments,mechanism of action and structure-activity relationships

Chemotherapy is an important therapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer. Currently, many anticancer drugs are available in the market that plays an important role in cancer treatment, but concerns such as, drug resistance and side effects create an urgent need for the development of new anti-tumor drugs with high potency and less side effects. Heterocycles are of great interest due to their fascinating anticancer activity. Among them, 1,3,4-oxadiazoles showed attracting anti-tumor activity and its derivatives are under clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. Hybridization of 1,3,4-oxadiazole moiety with other heterocyclic pharmacophoresis a promising approach to overcome various disadvantages of current anticancer drugs such as drug resistance, toxicity, and other side effects. Thus, 1,3,4-oxadiazole-heterocycle hybrids occupy a significant position in the discovery of anti-tumor drugs. Among the reported oxadiazole-based hybrids reviewed here, compounds 45i, 59j, and 62x showed the highest anticancer activity with IC₅₀ values in the nanomolar range. This review summarizes the recent developments in the anticancer potential, structure–activity relationships, and mechanisms of actions of 1,3,4-oxadiazole-heterocycle hybrids.     

Design,Synthesis, and Docking Studies of Novel Dimethyl Triazene Incorporated Thiazolyl Pyrazolines for Anticancer Activity

A novel series of dimethyl triazene incorporated thiazolyl pyrazolines have been designed on the basis of hybridization and also in support with combi‐targeting approach. The designed compounds were synthesized through facile synthetic methods, and the compounds were confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS, and elemental analysis. Further, compounds were screened for in vitro anticancer activity against human breast cancer (MCF‐7) and human colon cancer (HT‐29) cell lines by MTT assay. Among all the tested compounds, compound 9b showed highest activity against both the cell lines in comparison with reference drug, Cisplatin. In addition, the synthesized compounds were docked into VEGFR‐2 kinase (PDB code: 2XIR) to explore their binding interactions at the active site. The compounds showed essential key interactions as that of known VEGFR‐2 inhibitors, and hence, the synthesized compounds may be considered as molecular scaffolds for anticancer activity.     

Synthesis,characterization, and evaluation of biological activities of new 4′‐substituted ruthenium (II) terpyridine complexes: Prospective anti‐inflammatory properties

The synthesis and characterization of Ru (II) terpyridine complexes derived from 4′ functionalized 2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine (tpy) ligands are reported. The heteroleptic complexes comprise the synthesized ligands 4′‐(2‐thienyl)‐ 2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine) or (4′‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine and (dimethyl 5‐(pyrimidin‐5‐yl)isophthalate). The new complexes [Ru(4′‐(2‐thienyl)‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine)(5‐(pyrimidin‐5‐yl)‐isophthalic acid)Cl₂] ( 9 ), [Ru(4′‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine)(5‐(pyrimidin‐5‐yl)‐isophthalic acid)Cl₂] ( 10 ), and [Ru(4′‐(2‐thienyl)‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine)(5‐(pyrimidin‐5‐yl)‐isophthalic acid)(NCS)₂] ( 11 ) were characterized by ¹H‐ and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy, C, H, N, and S elemental analysis, UPLC‐ESI‐MS, TGA, FT‐IR, and UV‐Vis spectroscopy. The biological activities of the synthesized ligands and their Ru (II) complexes as anti‐inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer agents were evaluated. Furthermore, the toxicity of the synthesized compounds was studied and compared with the standard drugs, namely, diclofenac potassium and ibuprofen, using hemolysis assay. The results indicated that the ligands and the complex 9 possess superior anti‐inflammatory activities inhibiting albumin denaturation (89.88–100%) compared with the standard drugs (51.5–88.37%) at a concentration of 500 μg g^?1. These activities were related to the presence of the chelating N‐atoms in the ligands and the exchangeable chloro‐ groups in the complex. Moreover, the chloro‐ and thiophene groups in complex 9 produce a higher anticancer activity compared with its isothiocyanate derivative in the complex 11 and the 3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl moiety in complex 10 . Considering the toxicity results, the synthesized ligands are nontoxic or far less toxic compared with the standard drugs and the metal complexes. Therefore, these newly synthesized compounds are promising anti‐inflammatory agents in addition to their moderate unique broad antimicrobial activity.     

Histone‐Deacetylase‐Targeted Fluorescent Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complexes as Potent Anticancer Agents

Histone deacetylases inhibitors (HDACis) have gained much attention as a new class of anticancer agents in recent years. Herein, we report a series of fluorescent ruthenium(II) complexes containing N¹‐hydroxy‐N⁸‐(1,10‐phenanthrolin‐5‐yl)octanediamide ( L ), a suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) derivative, as a ligand. As expected, these complexes show interesting chemiphysical properties, including relatively high quantum yields, large Stokes shifts, and long emission lifetimes. The in vitro inhibitory effect of the most effective drug, [Ru(DIP)₂ L ](PF₆)₂ ( 3 ; DIP: 4,7‐diphenyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline), on histone deacetylases (HDACs) is approximately equivalent in activity to that of SAHA, and treatment with complex 3 results in increased levels of the acetylated histone H3. Complex 3 is highly active against a panel of human cancer cell lines, whereas it shows relatively much lower toxicity to normal cells. Further mechanism studies show that complex 3 can elicit cell cycle arrest and induce apoptosis through mitochondria‐related pathways and the production of reactive oxygen species. These data suggest that these fluorescent ruthenium(II)–HDACi conjugates may represent a promising class of anticancer agents for potential dual imaging and therapeutic applications targeting HDACs.     

Rationalization of the Superior Anticancer Activity of Phenanthriplatin: An In-Depth Computational Exploration

In the effort to overcome issues of toxicity and resistance inherent to treatment by the approved platinum anticancer agents, a large number of cisplatin variants continues today to be prepared and tested. One of the applied strategies is to use monofunctional platinum complexes that, unlike traditional bifunctional compounds, are able to form only a single covalent bond with nuclear DNA. Chirality, aquation reaction, interaction with guanine and N-acetyl methionine as well as, intercalation into, binding to and distortion of DNA have been investigated by using both quantum mechanical DFT and molecular dynamics computations aiming at contributing to the elucidation of the molecular mechanism underlying the significantly enhanced spectrum of activity of the monofunctional Pt^II drug phenanthriplatin. Analogous calculations have been performed in parallel for other two less potent monofunctional Pt^II drugs, pyriplatin and enpyriplatin, which show very different cytotoxic effects.