Copper complexes for biomedical applications: Structural insights, antioxidant activity and neuron compatibility.

Area of Science:

• Coordination chemistry
• Biomedical science
• Materials science

Background:

• Copper-amino acid complexes are vital for protein function and disease treatment.
• Copper's role in neurodegenerative diseases necessitates exploring novel therapeutic agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize copper(II) complexes with l-Serine, l-Histidine, Urea, and Biuret.
• To evaluate their structural properties, stability, antioxidant activity, and neuronal compatibility.

Main Methods:

• Complex synthesis using CuCl2 and purification.
• Structural analysis via elemental composition, X-ray diffraction, and FTIR.
• Stability assessment in various solutions using UV-Vis and cyclic voltammetry.
• Antioxidant activity evaluation using DPPH and DPD assays.
• Neuronal compatibility testing on P19 stem cell-derived neurons.

Main Results:

• Complexes formed as [Cu(ligand)2] with varied coordination modes (tridentate, bidentate, monodentate).
• [Cu(Ser)2] and [Cu(His)2Cl2] complexes demonstrated stability in physiological media.
• All complexes exhibited antioxidant capacity, with [Cu(His)2Cl2] being the most potent.
• [Cu(His)2Cl2] showed significant neurocompatibility (90% viability at 200 μM), while others were less cytotoxic than CuCl2.

Conclusions:

• Copper complexes with amino acids and urea derivatives possess antioxidant and varying degrees of neuroprotective properties.
• The [Cu(His)2Cl2] complex shows particular promise for therapeutic applications in neurodegenerative diseases.
• These findings contribute to the development of novel copper-based antioxidants and treatments for copper-related disorders.