New superior bioactive metal complexes of ligand with N,O donor atoms bearing sulfadiazine moiety: Physicochemical study and thermal behavior for chemotherapeutic application

Sulfadiazine is a drug famous for its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antitumor effects. Remarkably, its biological activity can be further enhanced upon incorporating a suitable metal ion. However, these metal-comprising complexes are not widely available. In the current study, a sulfadiazine Schiff base derivative was exploited as a ligand for synthesizing new complexes utilizing Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Fe(III), and Cr(III) metals. The structural and analytical characteristics of the ligand and the newly prepared complexes were elucidated using various spectral and thermal investigations. Also, the biological activity of the ligand and the metal complexes, including the cytotoxic effect on normal cells and on liver malignant cells and the antimicrobial activity, was examined. The infrared spectra demonstrated that the ligand coordinated to all the added metal ions in a neutral form. It behaved in a bidentate manner in all mononuclear complexes. The new complexes exhibited octahedral geometry. Evaluating the biological activities revealed that the ligand and its novel metal-containing complexes had moderate antimicrobial activity, while the metal complexes, especially those comprising of Cr(III), Fe(III), and Cu(II), displayed a superior chemotherapeutic effect on HepG2 cell line in comparison to the ligand with very week or rare cytotoxic effects on normal human cells. Efficiently, new sulfadiazine Schiff base derivative-containing metal complexes with enhanced therapeutic potential were manufactured and could be applied on experimental models for the treatment of various types of infections and malignancies.