Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Assessing Cell Viability and Death in 3D Spheroid Cultures of Cancer Cells
Published on: June 16, 2019
Ruthenium Complex Induce Cell Death in G-415 Gallbladder Cancer Cells
Hernán Villota1,2, Sebastian Pizarro3, Francisco Gajardo3
1Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, CáncerLab, Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica Del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo, 1781421, Chile. hernan.villota@ucn.cl.
Purpose:
In this work, we present a recently developed ruthenium complex that shows anticancer activity in gallbladder cancer cells.
Methods:
After the synthesis of the new ruthenium complexes, the antiproliferative, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis activities were evaluated in vitro by the triple assay ApoTox-Glo. Then, the transcription levels of genes related to apoptosis were evaluated by real-time PCR (q-PCR).
Results:
The ruthenium complex, called Ru-UCN3, inhibits the proliferation of gallbladder cancer cells G-415 by means of apoptosis, which was demonstrated by the overexpression of the pro-apoptotic genes Puma, Diablo, and Caspasa-9 together with the repression of the anti-apoptotic genes Bcl-xL and Bcl-2. In addition, we found strong caspase 3/7 activity in the cells at 24 h of the Ru-UCN3 exposure, which was evaluated by the triple ApoTox-Glo assay.
Conclusion:
The new ruthenium complexes evaluated had an inhibitory effect on G-415 cells. We think that Ru-UCN3 could be a promising anticancer agent, which should be explored with more in vitro and in vivo assays and probably with the chemical modulation of this molecule.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Cell Death
Cell death was observed in the early 19th century, but there was no experimental evidence to prove it. In 1842, Carl Vogt first discovered cell death in a metamorphic toad; however, it was not termed ‘cell death.’ Scientists discovered different cell death pathways only in the...
Autophagic Cell Death
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
Gallbladder
The gallbladder's anatomy consists of three regions: the fundus, body, and neck. Extending from the neck, the cystic duct joins...
Diseases of the Liver and Gallbladder
Cirrhosis is characterized by the scarring of hepatic lobules in the liver, which are replaced by fibrous tissue, affecting the liver's normal functioning. NAFLD, on the other hand, is caused by an excessive build-up of fat in the liver, not...
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia

