Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026
07:20
Amide Coupling Reaction for the Synthesis of Bispyridine-based Ligands and Their Complexation to Platinum as Dinuclear Anticancer Agents
Published on: May 28, 2014
14.5K
Photoactivatable platinum anticancer complex can generate tryptophan radicals.
Claudio Vallotto1, Evyenia Shaili, Huayun Shi
1Department of Physics, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, Coventry, UK. m.e.newton@warwick.ac.uk.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|November 24, 2018
Summary
L-Tryptophan and melatonin quench radicals from a platinum anticancer complex under visible light. This suggests a multitargeting mechanism against resistant cancers involving indole radicals.
Area of Science:
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Photochemistry
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Platinum-based anticancer drugs are crucial in cancer therapy.
- Understanding drug-light interactions is key to developing novel therapeutic strategies.
- Radical formation plays a role in the mechanism of action for some anticancer agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interaction of L-Tryptophan (Trp), melatonin (MLT), and pentagastrin with a platinum complex under visible light irradiation.
- To characterize the radicals formed during this interaction.
- To explore the potential of these interactions in a multitargeting anticancer mechanism.
Main Methods:
- Irradiation of the anticancer complex trans,trans,trans-[Pt(pyridine)2(N3)2(OH)2] with visible light.
- Quenching studies using L-Tryptophan, melatonin, and pentagastrin.
- Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spin-trapping to characterize C3-centred indole radicals.
Main Results:
- L-Tryptophan, melatonin, and pentagastrin effectively quenched azidyl radicals generated from the platinum complex.
- C3-centred indole radicals were formed and characterized for L-Tryptophan and melatonin.
- Azidyl, hydroxyl, and indole radicals were identified as potential mediators.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrates that L-Tryptophan, melatonin, and pentagastrin can modulate radical formation from a platinum anticancer complex.
- The generated indole radicals, along with azidyl and hydroxyl radicals, suggest a potential multitargeting mechanism against resistant cancers.
- This finding opens avenues for developing novel photochemically activated anticancer therapies.
Related Concept Videos
01:02Radical Reactivity: Electrophilic Radicals
2.5K
Radicals adjacent to electron‐withdrawing groups are called electrophilic radicals. These radicals readily react with nucleophilic alkenes. For example, the malonate radical, in which the radical center is flanked by two electron‐withdrawing groups, reacts readily with butyl vinyl ether, which consists of an electron‐donating oxygen substituent. The reaction between electrophilic malonate radical and nucleophilic vinyl ether is favored because the radical has a...
2.5K
01:16Radical Reactivity: Nucleophilic Radicals
2.7K
Radicals adjacent to electron-donating groups are called nucleophilic radicals. These radicals readily react with electrophilic alkenes. The SOMO–LUMO interactions are the driving force for the reaction, where the high-energy SOMO of the electron-rich, nucleophilic radicals interacts with the low-energy LUMO of the electron-deficient, electrophilic alkenes. Such SOMO–LUMO interactions are the basis of reactive radical traps, affecting the selectivity in radical reactions. For...
2.7K
01:27Radicals
730
Roots, often written as radicals, identify the quantity that must be raised to a specific exponent to produce a given value. A radical expression consists of two main components: the radicand, which is the value placed inside the root symbol, and the index, which indicates the degree of the root being taken. The notation n√a indicates the principal nth root of a. If n equals 2, the operation is the square root, while n = 3 defines the cube root. When n is even, a negative radicand does...
730
01:57Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts
2.9K
Groups of proteins may form a complex where each protein in this complex has a different role in the overall execution of the complex’s function. Often some of the proteins in the complex can be replaced by a closely related variant to give a complex that contains many of the same components yet is functionally distinct.
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order...
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order...
2.9K
01:26Radical Equations
361
Radical equations are mathematical expressions in which the variable is found within a radical, most commonly a square root or cube root. These equations frequently arise in science, engineering, and real-world measurements involving nonlinear relationships. To solve a radical equation, the standard procedure is to isolate the radical expression and then eliminate the radical by raising each side to a power equal to the index of the radical. This process may lead to extraneous...
361
01:20Radical Autoxidation
3.2K
The oxidation of an organic compound in the presence of air or oxygen is called autoxidation. For example, cumene reacts with oxygen to form hydroperoxide. Autoxidation involves initiation, propagation, and termination steps. Many organic compounds are susceptible to autoxidation—especially ethers in the presence of oxygen, which form hydroperoxides. Even though this reaction is slow, old ether bottles contain small amounts of peroxide, which leads to laboratory explosions during ether...
3.2K