Novel palladium(II) and Zinc(II) Schiff base complexes: Synthesis, biophysical studies, and anticancer activity investigation

BACKGROUND

Schiff base metal complexes are considered promising chemotherapeutic agents due to their potential application in cancer therapy.

METHODS

The current work sought to synthesize a brand-new Schiff base ligand obtained from 2-hydroxybenzohydrazide and (E)- 1-(2-(p-tolyl)hydrazono)propan-2-one with metal ions which included Pd(II) and Zn(II) ions. Elemental analyses, FT-IR, mass spectra, 1H NMR, UV-Vis spectrometer, and computational analysis characterized the compound's structure. In vitro, the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) was tested for its sensitivity to Schiff base (HL) and its Pd(II) and Zn(II) complexes. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration IC₅₀ of the compounds was determined and used to perform the comet assay, which was carried out to reveal the photo-induced DNA damaging ability of the compounds of individual cells. Moreover, the compounds' effects on antioxidant defense systems of enzymes in cells: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and oxidant Malondialdehyde (MDA) were examined in MCF-7 cells.

RESULTS

The Pd(II) complex displayed approximately the same IC₅₀ as Cisplatin, while Zn(II) complex had better activity than Cisplatin with very low IC₅₀, 1.40 μg/ml. Significant alterations in SOD, CAT, GPx, and MDA production were discovered, inducing oxidative stress, enlarging ROS production, and reducing the antioxidant amount. This change was approximately similar in most compounds. Consequently, it promoted apoptosis, particularly the Zn(II) complex, which demonstrated an improved impact because of its ability to influence the antioxidant defense systems of enzymes, mostly SOD and GPx, besides increasing MDA levels.

CONCLUSION

It can be concluded that Zn(II) complex is the most effective anticancer drug since it induced a very similar genotoxic effect as Cisplatin and has a very low IC₅₀ value.

Pd(II) Complexes with Pyridine Ligands: Substituent Effects on the NMR Data, Crystal Structures, and Catalytic Activity

A wide range of functionalized pyridine ligands have been employed to synthesize a variety of Pd(II) complexes of the general formulas [PdL₄](NO₃)₂ and [PdL₂Y₂], where L = 4-X-py and Y = Cl^– or NO₃^–. Their structures have been unambiguously established via analytical and spectroscopic methods in solution (NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry) as well as in the solid state (X-ray diffraction). This in-depth characterization has shown that the functionalization of ligand molecules with groups of either electron-withdrawing or -donating nature (EWG and EDG) results in significant changes in the physicochemical properties of the desired coordination compounds. Downfield shifts of signals in the ¹H NMR spectra were observed upon coordination within and across the complex families, clearly indicating the relationship between NMR chemical shifts and the ligand basicity as estimated from pK_a values. A detailed crystallographic study has revealed the operation of a variety of weak interactions, which may be factors explaining aspects of the solution chemistry of the complexes. The Pd(II) complexes have been found to be efficient and versatile precatalysts in Suzuki–Miyaura and Heck cross-coupling reactions within a scope of structurally distinct substrates, and factors have been identified that have contributed to efficiency improvement in both processes.

A wide range of pyridine derivatives have been employed to synthesize a variety of di- and tetrasubstituted Pd(II) complexes of square-planar geometry. This in-depth characterization has shown that the functionalization of ligand molecules with groups of either electron-withdrawing or -donating nature results in significant changes in the physicochemical properties of the coordination compounds. Moreover, the complexes have been found to be of practical utility as efficient precatalysts for both Suzuki−Miyaura and Heck cross-coupling reactions.

Low-dimensional compounds containing bioactive ligands. Part XVII: Synthesis, structural, spectral and biological properties of hybrid organic-inorganic complexes based on [PdCl4]2- with derivatives of 8-hydroxyquinolinium

In this study, four hybrid organic-inorganic compounds (8-H₂Q)₂[PdCl₄] (1), (H₂ClQ)₂[PdCl₄] (2), (H₂NQ)₂[PdCl₄] (3) and (H₂MeQ)₂[PdCl₄]·2H₂O (4) (where 8-H₂Q = 8-hydroxyquinolinium, H₂ClQ = 5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinolinium, H₂NQ = 5-nitro-8-hydroxyquinolinium and H₂MeQ = 2-methyl-8-hydroxyquinolinium) were synthesized through organic cation modulation. Single-crystal X-ray structure analysis of compounds 1 and 3 indicates that their structures are planar and consist of [PdCl₄]^2- anions and 8-H₂Q or H₂NQ cations, respectively. Both ionic components are held together through ionic interactions and hydrogen bonds forming infinite chains linked through π-π interactions to form 2D structures. Furthermore, NMR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and FT-IR spectroscopy were used to explore the synthesized compounds. The DNA interaction, antimicrobial activity, antiproliferative activity, and radical scavenging effect of the compounds were evaluated. The hybrid compounds and their free ligands can interact with the calf thymus DNA via an intercalation mode involving the insertion of the aromatic chromophore between the base pairs of DNA; compound 1 has the highest binding affinity. Moreover, they have high antimicrobial efficacy against the tested 14 strains of microorganisms with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from <1.95 to 250 μg/mL. The antiproliferative activity of the compounds was investigated against three different cancer cell lines, and their selectivity was verified on mesenchymal stem cells. Compounds 1 and 2 displayed selective and high cytotoxicity against human lung and breast cancer cells and showed moderate cytotoxicity against colon cancer cells. Accordingly, they might be auspicious candidates for future pharmacological investigations in lung and breast cancer research.

Halogen Bonding in Isostructural Co(II) Complexes with 2-Halopyridines

Three complexes [Co(2-XPy)2Cl2] (X = Cl, Br, and I) were prepared and characterized, representing a rare case of isostructurality within the Cl-Br-I row. The nature of halogen bonding (XB) in a solid state was studied by DFT calculations, revealing a tendency of XB energy growth for heavier halogens.

Sugar-boronate ester scaffold tethered pyridyl-imine palladium(ii) complexes: synthesis and their in vitro anticancer evaluation

The anticancer activity of sugar-boronate ester containing palladium(ii) complexes is reported.