Metal Ion Complexes with Pyrazoles, Aziridines and Diaziridines - Synthesis and Biological Activity.

Heterocyclic compounds containing nitrogen ions, like pyrazoles, aziridines, diaziridines and their metal ion complexes with Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ru(III) and others exhibit a wide range of biological activity, including mainly anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties. Biological significance of these molecules and thus their potential use in medicine has driven growing interest into their coordination chemistry. A knowledge of the relationship between the structure of chemical compounds and their activity is needed for the synthesis of the preparations possessing the most beneficial features. The choice of interposed substituents may improve biocidal and antitumor action, reduce the toxicity of the initial substance, or even completely eliminate its adverse effects for healthy tissues. The main aim of this review paper is to present the current state of knowledge concerning the synthesis and biological activity of complexes with small heterocyclic ligands containing transition metal ions.

1,4-Bis(4-nitrosophenyl)piperazine: novel bridging ligand in dinuclear complexes of rhodium(III) and iridium(III).

The synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and crystal structures of the first 1,4-bis(4-nitrosophenyl)piperazine (BNPP) (4) bridged dinuclear complexes of rhodium(III) and iridium(III) are presented. The reaction of the µ(2)-halogenido-bridged dimers [(η(5)-C(5)Me(5))IrX(2)](2) [X = Cl (5a), Br (5b), I (5c)] and [(η(5)- C(5)Me(5))RhCl(2)](2) (6a) with 4 yields the dinuclear complexes [(η(5)-C(5)Me(5))IrX(2)](2)-BNPP (7a-c) and [(η(5)-C(5)Me(5))RhCl(2)](2)-BNPP (8a). All new compounds were characterized by their NMR, IR and mass spectra. The X-ray structure analyses of the obtained half-sandwich complexes revealed a slightly distorted pseudo-octahedral configuration ("three-legged pianostool") for the metal(III) centers. The bridging BNPP ligand is σ-N coordinated by both nitroso groups and shows different conformations of the piperazine ring depending on the solvent used for crystallization. Moreover the crystal structures of 1,4-bis(4-nitrosophenyl)piperazine (4) and its precursor 1,4-diphenylpiperazine (3) are reported.

Synthesis, X-ray structure and cytotoxic effect of nickel(II) complexes with pyrazole ligands.

Here we present the synthesis of the new Ni(II) complexes with chelating ligands 1-benzothiazol-2-yl-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole (a), 5-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-1-(2-pyridylo)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (b) and 1-benzothiazol-2-yl-5-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (c). These ligands a-c create solid complexes with Ni(II). The crystal and molecular structures of two complexes were determined by X-ray diffraction method. Thermal stability of two complexes with ligand c by TG/DTG and DSC methods were also shown. Cytotoxic activity of all the complexes against three tumour cell lines and to normal endothelial cells (HUVEC) was also estimated. Complexes with ligand c exhibited relatively high cytotoxic activity towards HL-60 and NALM-6 leukaemia cells and WM-115 melanoma cells. Cytotoxic effectiveness of one of these complexes against melanoma WM-115 cells was two times higher than that of cisplatin. The protonation constant log K=9.63 of ligand b corresponding to the phenol 2-hydroxy group has been determined in 10% (v/v) DMSO/water solution (25°C). The coordination modes (formation of two monomeric species: NiL and NiL(2)) in the complexes with Ni(II) are discussed for b on the basis of the potentiometric and UV/Vis data.

Reactions of Cu(I)Br with aziridine derivatives. Synthesis, characterization and crystal structures of monomeric, dimeric and hexameric aziridine (= az) complexes of the formal type [CuBr(az)2]n (n = 1, 2) and [CuBr(az)]6.

The first syntheses of monomeric and oligomeric aziridine complexes of copper(I) are described. Cu(I)Br (1) reacts with a series of different aziridine derivatives (C(2)H(3)PhNH (2), C(2)H(2)Me(2)NH (3), C(2)H(2)Me(2)NC(2)H(2)Me(2)NH(2) (4)) to give the neutral dimeric complex [CuBr(C(2)H(3)PhNH)(2)](2) (5) and the ionic hexameric complex [Cu(6)Br(5)(C(2)H(2)Me(2)NH)(6)]Br (6) with terminal bound aziridine ligands as well as the neutral monomeric complex [CuBr(C(2)H(2)Me(2)NC(2)H(2)Me(2)NH(2))] (7) where the dimerized aziridine acts as a N,N'-chelating ligand. After purification, all of the complexes were fully characterized and their IR, (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra are reported and discussed. The single crystal structure analysis revealed distorted tetrahedral geometry for the copper(I) centres in the complexes 5 and 6 and a trigonal planar structure for complex 7. In the oligomers the copper centres are bridged by two µ(2)- (5) or two µ(3)- and three µ(4)-bromido ligands (6), respectively.

Tautomerization of 2-nitroso-N-arylanilines by coordination as N,N'-chelate ligands to rhenium(I) complexes and the anticancer activity of newly synthesized oximine rhenium(I) complexes against human melanoma and leukemia cells in vitro.

The synthesis, structural characterization and biological activity of eight ortho-quinone(N-aryl)-oximine rhenium(I) complexes are described. The reaction of the halogenido complexes (CO)(5)ReX (X = Cl (4), Br (5)) with 2-nitroso-N-arylanilines {(C(6)H(3)ClNO)NH(C(6)H(4)R)} (R = p-Cl, p-Me, o-Cl, H) (3a-d) in tetrahydrofurane (THF) yields the complexes fac-(CO)(3)XRe{(C(6)H(3)ClNO)NH(C(6)H(4)R)} (6a-d, 7a-d) with the tautomerized ligand acting as a N,N'-chelate. The substitution of two carbonyl ligands leads to the formation of a nearly planar 5-membered metallacycle. During coordination the amino-proton is shifted to the oxygen of the nitroso group which can be observed in solution for 6 and 7 by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and in solid state by crystal structure analysis. After purification, all compounds have been fully characterized by their (1)H and (13)C NMR, IR, UV/visible (UV/Vis) and mass spectra. The X-ray structure analyses revealed a distorted octahedral coordination of the CO, X and N,N'-chelating ligands for all Re(I) complexes. Biological activity of four oximine rhenium(I) complexes was assessed in vitro in two highly aggressive cancer cell lines: human metastatic melanoma A375 and human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562. Chlorido complexes (6a and 6c) were more efficient than bromido compounds (7d and 7b) in inducing apoptotic cell death of both types of cancer cells. Melanoma cells were more susceptible to tested rhenium(I) complexes than leukemia cells. None of the ligands (3a-d) showed any significant anticancer activity.

Synthesis, X-ray structures and cytotoxic activity of platinum(II), palladium(II) and copper(II) complexes with chelating ligands.

Here we present the synthesis of the new chelating ligands 1-benzothiazol-2-yl-5-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (2a) and 1-(6-chloropyridazin-3-yl)-5-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (2b), obtained in the reaction of 2-methyl-4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxylic acid methyl ester (1) with hydrazine derivatives. These ligands 2a and 2b create solid complexes with Pt(II) (4a, 4b), Pd(II) (5a, 5b) and Cu(II) (6a, 7a, 8a, 8b and 9b) metal ions or can be cyclized to 1-benzothiazol-2-yl-3-methyl-1H-chromeno[4,3-c]pyrazol-4-one (3a) or 1-(6-chloropyridazin-3-yl)-3-methyl-1H-chromeno[4,3-c]pyrazol-4-one (3b). The crystal and molecular structures of ligand 2a, its Cu(II) complexes 6a and 7a were determined by X-ray diffraction method. Cytotoxic activity of the ligands 2a and 2b and their complexes 4a, 4b, 5a, 5a, 6a, 8a, 8b and 9b, and modulation of expression of BAX and P53 genes are also shown.

Rhodium(III) and iridium(III) complexes with 1,2-naphthoquinone-1-oximate as a bidentate ligand: synthesis, structure, and biological activity.

The synthesis and characterization of three novel iridium(III) complexes and one rhodium(III) complex with 1-nitroso-2-naphthol (3) chelating as a 1,2-naphthoquinone-1-oximato ligand are described. The reaction of mu(2)-halogenido-bridged dimers [(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))IrX(2)](2) [X is Cl (1a), Br (1b), I (1c)] and [(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))RhCl(2)](2) (2a) with 3 in CH(2)Cl(2) yields the mononuclear complexes (eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))IrX(eta(2)-C(10)H(6)N(2)O) (4a, 4b, 4c) and (eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))RhCl(eta(2)-C(10)H(6)N(2)O) (5a). All compounds were characterized by their (1)H and (13)C NMR, IR, and mass spectra, UV/vis spectra were recorded for 4a and 5a. The X-ray structure analyses revealed a pseudo-octahedral "piano-stool" configuration for the metals with bidentate coordination through oximato-N and naphthoquinone-O, forming a nearly planar five-membered metallacycle. The metal complexes 4a and 5a were evaluated in respect to their cytotoxicity and binding affinity toward double-stranded DNA. As determined in the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, both exerted a much stronger cytotoxic effect toward HeLa and HL60 cancer cell lines than did cisplatin. The remarkable cytotoxicity of the compounds tested may be attributed to necrosis, rather than to apoptosis, as it is evidenced by the caspase-3/7 activation assay. No clear evidence was found for interaction with double-stranded DNA. The melting experiments showed no significant differences between thermodynamic parameters of intact DNA and DNA incubated with 3, 4a, or 5a, although these derivatives altered DNA recognition by the BamHI restriction enzyme. Therefore, the screened iridium and rhodium complexes 4a and 5a may still be interesting as potential anticancer drugs owing to their high cytotoxicity toward cancer cell lines, whereas they do not modify DNA in a way similar to that of cisplatin.

Platinum-assisted isomerization of 1-methylenehydrazine into 1-carbenehydrazine.

This theoretical study addresses the experimentally known fact that the ligand system 1-(2-(diphenylphosphino)benzylidene)-2-phenylhydrazine (L) coordinates to palladium centers via the N atom as a 1-methylenehydrazine ligand. In the case of platinum, a 1,2-H shift occurs, and a coordination via the C atom of the newly formed 1-carbenehydrazine ligand is observed. DFT calculations show that the free 1-methylenehydrazine ligand is favored over the free 1-carbenehydrazine ligand by ca. 42 kcal mol(-1). Coordination to a metal center, however, lowers this energy difference to ca. 8-14 kcal mol(-1) in the case of Pd and to essentially zero for Pt.

Tautomeric forms study of 1H-(2'-pyridyl)-3-methyl-5-hydroxypyrazole and 1H-(2'-pyridyl)-3-phenyl-5-hydroxypyrazole. Synthesis, structure, and cytotoxic activity of their complexes with palladium(II) ions.

In this article the synthesis of new 1H-(2'-pyridyl)-3-methyl-5-hydroxypyrazole and 1H-(2'-pyridyl)-3-phenyl-5-hydroxypyrazole complexes with palladium(II) ions is reported. The structures of obtained compounds have been characterized by X-ray crystallography and DFT (density functional theory) calculations. The cytotoxicity of complexes and ligands has been examined for two human leukemia cell lines (HL-60 and NALM-6) and one human melanoma cell line (WM-115). The palladium(II) complex with 1H-(2'-pyridyl)-3-phenyl-5-hydroxypyrazole has been shown to possess greater activity than carboplatin against the WM-115 melanoma cell line. Additionally, the ligands' tautomeric forms existence in different solvents (chloroform, methanol, DMSO) has been characterized by (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis and DFT calculations. The obtained results have been compared with those from other studies of similar compounds.

Cytotoxic effect, differentiation, inhibition of growth and theoretical calculations of an N,N-donor ligands and its platinum(II), palladium(II) and copper(II) complexes.

The new pyrazole ligand 5-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-1-(2-pyridylo)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (2) and the corresponding Pt(II), Pd(II) and Cu(II) complexes 3-5 have been synthesized as potential anticancer compounds, and characterized using IR, and (1)H NMR as well as mass spectrometry. The 3-D structures of the Cu(II) complexes were determined by quantum mechanic calculation DFT methodology (density functional theory). The cytotoxicity assay of the ligand and complexes has been performed on leukemia cell lines. In general, the complexes showed lower cytotoxicity than cisplatin, and the Pt(II) and Cu(II) complexes were found to be more efficient in the induction of leukemia cell death than the Pd(II) complex. Our investigations indicate that the antiproliferating activity of the Pt(II) and Cu(II) complexes was partly due to the modulation of cellular differentiation.

Synthesis, cytotoxic effect, and structure-activity relationship of Pd(II) complexes with coumarin derivatives.

We report the influence of the substituent at the N atom of the ligands on the synthesis, biological activity, and stability of Pd(II) complexes of the general formula PdL(2). The compounds adopt a cis or trans configuration with respect to the substituent at the nitrogen atom. Sterically hindered substituents promote the formation of trans isomers, whereas when the nitrogen atom is unsubstituted, cis isomers are formed. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopies, and electrospray mass spectrometry. The complexes were also studied using X-ray diffraction and computational DFT methods. Both complexes cis-3a and trans-3c exhibit square-planar geometries around the Pd(II) atom. The cytotoxic effects of these complexes were examined on two human leukemia cell lines, HL-60 and NALM-6. Pd complex cis-3a showed significant cytotoxic activity. The effects exhibited by this complex were comparable to those reported for carboplatin. Loigand 2a was not cytotoxic. Computational analysis carried out at the PB/B3LYP/LACVP**//mPW1PW91/LanL2DZ level showed excellent correlation between the energy difference of the cis and trans isomers and the cytotoxic activity, rendering computations a useful predictive tool for the design of new drugs.

Dichroic, dinuclear mu2-(eta2-NO)-nitrosoaniline-bridged complexes of rhenium of the type [[(CO)3Re(mu-X)]2ONC6H4NR2] (X = Cl, Br, I; R = Me, Et).

A series of unusual dinuclear mu2-(eta2-NO)-nitrosoaniline-bridged complexes [[(CO)3Re(mu-X)]2ONC6H4NR2] (X = Cl, Br, I; R = Me, Et) with dichroic properties have been synthesised by reaction of pentacarbonylhalogenorhenium(I) [(CO)5ReX] (X = Cl, Br, I) with the corresponding nitrosoaniline derivatives R2NC6H4NO (R = Me, Et). The deeply coloured solutions in CH2Cl2 show broad UV/Vis absorptions from 595 to 620 nm depending on the halogen bridges and N substituents. Single crystals of all six compounds exhibit a pronounced linear dichroism. The molecular structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray analyses. All the compounds contain two face-shared octahedra, with two halogens and one NO ligand as bridges. The NO ligand coordinates in a nonsymmetrical eta2-like fashion with N or O coordination to each Re centre. Therefore, the C-nitroso group and the planar NC2 moiety of NR2 both lie almost exactly within the symmetry plane of the dinuclear complexes. These complexes belong to the novel and simple class of neutral dinuclear C-nitroso complexes that include the rare, non-assisted mu2-(eta2-NO) ligand function and have only single halogen atoms in bridging positions.

DPP dyes as ligands in transition-metal complexes.

The DPP dyes (=diketopyrrolopyrrole) 1 are deprotonated to give the corresponding dianions 2. These are treated with two moles of the transition-metal complexes [L(n)MX]=[(Ph(3)P)(2)MX] (M=Cu, Ag; X=Cl, NO(3)), [(Ph(3)P)AuCl], [(Et(3)P)AuCl], [(tBuNC)AuCl], [(Ph(3)P)(2)PdCl(2)], and [(Ph(3)P)(2)PtCl(2)] to give the novel bismetalated DPP dyes [L(n)MN[C(3)R(1)(O)](2)NML(n)] (4-10). In comparison with the starting materials, these compounds show better solubilities, high fluorescence quantum yields (Phi > or = 80 %), and bathochromic absorptions. The compounds 4 c, 5 a, 6 b, 6 c, 6 e, 7 c, and 8 c were characterized by X-ray crystallography. The copper and silver atoms in 4 c and 5 a are trigonal planar and are surrounded by the P atoms of the phosphane ligands and the N atom of the DPP dianion 2. Both metals are somewhat forced out-of-plane, and the P(2)M plane and the phenyl planes of R1 are twisted by > or = 70 degrees and < or = 25 degrees, respectively, towards the chromophore plane. The gold atoms in 6-8 are linearly coordinated to one N and one P (6 b, c, e, 7 c) or one C atom (8 c), respectively. The gold atoms are only slightly pressed out-of-plane, and the P substituents are staggered so that there is enough space for the planarization of R(1) into the plane of the chromophore. Compound 8 c shows intermolecular d(10)-d(10) interactions between Au(I) centers of different molecules, and these interactions lead to infinite chains of parallel orientated molecules in a gauche conformation of neighbors (torsion angle=150 degrees) in the crystal.