Ruthenium-arene complexes bearing naphthyl-substituted 1,3-dioxoindan-2-carboxamides ligands for G-quadruplex DNA recognition.

Quadruplex nucleic acids - DNA/RNA secondary structures formed in guanine rich sequences - proved to have key roles in the biology of cancers and, as such, in recent years they emerged as promising targets for small molecules. Many reports demonstrated that metal complexes can effectively stabilize quadruplex structures, promoting telomerase inhibition, downregulation of the expression of cancer-related genes and ultimately cancer cell death. Although extensively explored as anticancer agents, studies on the ability of ruthenium arene complexes to interact with quadruplex nucleic acids are surprisingly almost unknown. Herein, we report on the synthesis and characterization of four novel Ru(ii) arene complexes with 1,3-dioxoindan-2-carboxamides ligands bearing pendant naphthyl-groups designed to bind quadruplexes by both stacking and coordinating interactions. We show how improvements on the hydrolytic stability of such complexes, by substituting the chlorido leaving ligand with pyridine, have a dramatic impact on their interaction with quadruplexes and on their cytotoxicity against ovarian cancer cells.

Catalysis Concepts in Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry.

Catalysis has strongly emerged in the field of medicinal inorganic chemistry as a suitable tool to deliver new drug candidates and to overcome drawbacks associated to metallodrugs. In this Concept article, we discuss representative examples of how catalysis has been applied in combination with metal complexes to deliver new therapy approaches. In particular, we explain key achievements in the design of catalytic metallodrugs that damage biomolecular targets and in the development of metal catalysis schemes for the activation of exogenous organic prodrugs. Moreover, we discuss our recent discoveries on the flavin-mediated bioorthogonal catalytic activation of metal-based prodrugs; a new catalysis strategy in which metal complexes are unconventionally employed as substrates rather than catalysts.

Biological activity of PtIV prodrugs triggered by riboflavin-mediated bioorthogonal photocatalysis.

We have recently demonstrated that riboflavin (Rf) functions as unconventional bioorthogonal photocatalyst for the activation of PtIV prodrugs. In this study, we show how the combination of light and Rf with two PtIV prodrugs is a feasible strategy for light-mediated pancreatic cancer cell death induction. In Capan-1 cells, which have high tolerance against photodynamic therapy, Rf-mediated activation of the cisplatin and carboplatin prodrugs cis,cis,trans-[Pt(NH3)2(Cl)2(O2CCH2CH2CO2H)2] (1) and cis,cis,trans-[Pt(NH3)2(CBDCA)(O2CCH2CH2CO2H)2] (2, where CBDCA = cyclobutane dicarboxylate) resulted in pronounced reduction of the cell viability, including under hypoxia conditions. Such photoactivation mode occurs to a considerable extent intracellularly, as demonstrated for 1 by uptake and cell viability experiments. 195Pt NMR, DNA binding studies using circular dichroism, mass spectrometry and immunofluorescence microscopy were performed using the Rf-1 catalyst-substrate pair and indicated that cell death is associated with the efficient light-induced formation of cisplatin. Accordingly, Western blot analysis revealed signs of DNA damage and activation of cell death pathways through Rf-mediated photochemical activation. Phosphorylation of H2AX as indicator for DNA damage, was detected for Rf-1 in a strictly light-dependent fashion while in case of free cisplatin also in the dark. Photochemical induction of nuclear pH2AX foci by Rf-1 was confirmed in fluorescence microscopy again proving efficient light-induced cisplatin release from the prodrug system.

Bioorthogonal Catalytic Activation of Platinum and Ruthenium Anticancer Complexes by FAD and Flavoproteins.

Recent advances in bioorthogonal catalysis promise to deliver new chemical tools for performing chemoselective transformations in complex biological environments. Herein, we report how FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide), FMN (flavin mononucleotide), and four flavoproteins act as unconventional photocatalysts capable of converting PtIV and RuII complexes into potentially toxic PtII or RuII -OH2 species. In the presence of electron donors and low doses of visible light, the flavoproteins mini singlet oxygen generator (miniSOG) and NADH oxidase (NOX) catalytically activate PtIV prodrugs with bioorthogonal selectivity. In the presence of NADH, NOX catalyzes PtIV activation in the dark as well, indicating for the first time that flavoenzymes may contribute to initiating the activity of PtIV chemotherapeutic agents.

Riboflavin as a bioorthogonal photocatalyst for the activation of a PtIV prodrug.

Encouraging developments demonstrate that few transition metal and organometallic catalysts can operate in a bioorthogonal fashion and promote non-natural chemistry in living systems by minimizing undesired side reactions with cellular components. These catalytic processes have potential for applications in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. However, the stringent conditions of the cell environment severely limit the number of accessible metal catalysts and exogenous reactions. Herein, we report an unorthodox approach and a new type of bioorthogonal catalytic reaction, in which a metal complex is an unconventional substrate and an exogenous biological molecule acts as a catalyst. In this reaction, riboflavin photocatalytically converts a PtIV prodrug into cisplatin within the biological environment. Due to the catalytic activity of riboflavin, cisplatin-like apoptosis is induced in cancer cells under extremely low doses of light, potentially preventing systemic off-target reactions. Photocatalytic and bioorthogonal turnover of PtIV into PtII species is an attractive strategy to amplify the antineoplastic action of metal-based chemotherapeutics with spatio-temporal control.

Upconverting nanoparticles for the near infrared photoactivation of transition metal complexes: new opportunities and challenges in medicinal inorganic photochemistry.

The article highlights the emergent use of upconverting nanoparticles as tools for the near infrared photoactivation of transition metal complexes, identifying opportunities and challenges of this approach in the context of medicinal inorganic chemistry.

Photorelease of Pyridyl Esters in Organometallic Ru(II) Arene Complexes.

New Ru(II) arene complexes of formula [(η6-p-cym)Ru(N-N)(X)]2+ (where p-cym = para-cymene, N-N = 2,2'-bipyrimidine (bpm) or 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) and X = m/p-COOMe-Py, 1-4) were synthesised and characterized, including the molecular structure of complexes [(η6-p-cym)Ru(bpy)(m-COOMe-Py)]2+ (3) and [(η6-p-cym)Ru(bpy) (p-COOMe-Py)]2+ (4) by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complexes 1-4 are stable in the dark in aqueous solution over 48 h and photolysis studies indicate that they can photodissociate the monodentate m/p-COOMe-Py ligands selectively with yields lower than 1%. DFT and TD-DFT calculations (B3LYP/LanL2DZ/6-31G**) performed on singlet and triplet states pinpoint a low-energy triplet state as the reactive state responsible for the selective dissociation of the monodentate pyridyl ligands.